While the Rams and Aaron Donald continue to engage in dialogue toward an extension the interior defender’s sought for nearly two years, extension talks between the Raiders and Khalil Mack aren’t believed to be progressing.
As of late July, the Raiders reportedly hadn’t made Mack an offer, which is rather odd given the 2016 defensive player of the year’s importance to the franchise. While Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes (subscription required) the team did make an offer in the spring, one Mack rejected, he adds these talks have unfolded at a “glacial” pace. However, Tafur writes neither Mark Davis nor Reggie McKenzie has made it known the Raiders plan to collect the $2MM-plus in fines Mack’s incurred for missing every mandatory Raiders activity this offseason. That would be a step toward the sides salvaging their relationship.
This standoff has dragged on to the point Las Vegas oddsmakers set the odds against Mack being on the Raiders after the midseason trade deadline. Is that the way the 27-year-old defender’s Raiders chapter will end?
Teams are calling the Raiders, some making repeat inquiries, about Mack’s trade availability. The edge rusher-desperate Jets are one of them. Vegas places the Packers — who hold two 2019 first-round picks — as a better bet to employ Mack by November than the Raiders, with the Bears and Jets listed as the other top destinations. A Mack trade would net the Raiders a surely substantial haul, but this franchise for years struggled to find players of Mack’s caliber in the first place.
With Mack being one of the best defenders in Raiders history, an Oakland exit would be seismic. It could signal the Raiders either may not be fully committed to paying for top talent, but the 2016 free agency period featured plenty of Raiders money going into free agents’ bank accounts and the ’17 offseason saw Davis authorize extensions for Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson.
Gruden made comments early this offseason about the Raiders previously a poor defensive team with Mack. While that isn’t inaccurate, given recent Raider editions struggling defensively, removing Mack from this unit would pose a problem for the team’s ability to pressure quarterbacks.
The Raiders guaranteed Carr $70MM, and Tafur notes it is probably going to take more to secure a long-term commitment from Mack. Von Miller received $70MM guaranteed from the Broncos in 2016, but with the salary cap sitting $22MM north of where it was then, it should be expected Mack and Donald are aiming higher. The Raiders’ potential lack of wherewithal to pay Mack that kind of guarantee has surfaced, but nothing concrete’s been reported on that front. But that would raise another set of questions for a franchise that recently accepted a record $750MM in public money to relocate to Vegas.
McKenzie doesn’t expect Mack to report without a contract, but the fifth-year veteran’s tied to $13.8MM fifth-year option. The Raiders have leverage here. And the franchise tag option for 2019 and ’20 exists if the Silver and Black wanted to play this that way, though considering Mack’s held out this long, that may not be a viable path. Considering how bad the Raiders have been for most of the past 15 years, sending off their best player just as the team prepares to leave its original market for a second time would not create the best atmosphere as the Jon Gruden 2.0 era begins.
So, how will this end? Will the Raiders get this deal done? Will Mack cave at the prospect of missing out on a sizable chunk of his 2018 salary? Or, is a divorce inevitable? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts (and possible trade destinations) in the comments section.
