12th Man Rising
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An Earl Thomas trade that makes sense for Seahawks – and it isn’t Dallas

By Todd Vandenberg

BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 13: Free safety Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks takes a moment before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 13, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BALTIMORE, MD - DECEMBER 13: Free safety Earl Thomas #29 of the Seattle Seahawks takes a moment before a game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 13, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Khalil Mack a trade target for Seahawks?
OAKLAND, CA – OCTOBER 09: Khalil Mack #52 of the Oakland Raiders reacts after a play against the San Diego Chargers during their NFL game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on October 9, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Seahawks could possibly land a monster defensive end

Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack is in a very similar situation as Thomas. He’s in the final year of his contract, and wants an extension. The Raiders are taking the same approach as the Seahawks with their star defender: in essence, you’re under contract, so honor it. Mack appears to be just as adamant about holding out as Thomas. And this make for a very intriguing possibility.

In case you missed it, both of the Seahawks starting defensive ends are on the shelf right now. Frank Clark is expected back with no issues, but Dion Jordan is a riskier health prospect. Right now Seattle looks like they have some decent candidates to step into the defensive backfield. No, they won;t play as well as Earl Thomas, but it certainly looks like we’ll be alright. The safety situation is better than what Seattle could be facing on the defensive line.

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Starting Clark on one end and Mack on the other would give the Seahawks an absolutely ferocious pass rush. Mack has averaged 12 sacks over the last three seasons, and is a great run-stuffer, too. Any deficiencies in the Seahawks secondary would be mitigated by the play of the line. So if Mack is so great, why would the Raiders let him go? Apparently coach Jon Gruden isn’t Mack’s biggest fan. As reported by Michael Davis Smith on Pro Football Talk, Gruden lit into Mack:

"We weren’t very good last year on defense with Khalil Mack,” Gruden said. “We didn’t have an interception, I think, all year. I don’t know if we intercepted a pass until Week 14. We’ve got to get a better pass rush, we’ve got to play better defense, period. And we hope Khalil gets here, but in the time being, we’ve got plenty of guys who need work."

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