With his holdout fully in effect, one of the more discouraging reports on Khalil Mack and the Raiders in recent days indicated that the sides aren’t even talking at the moment.
Obviously, the Raiders want to keep one of the league’s best defenders and Mack doesn’t want to find a new team. Any reports to the contrary are made up. The issue, as always, is money. The sides are simply too far apart right now to merit a discussion. Mack has a number in mind and so do the Raiders. Those numbers aren’t close.
So where does the impasse go from here?
The longer the standoff lasts, the odds become better that Mack will end up playing out his fifth-year option. That’s not what either side wants, but Joel Segal, who represents Mack, has a history of pushing players into the franchise tag (Justin Houston, Trumaine Johnson) and the Raiders may be perfectly content to let him do the same with Mack.
If the Raiders believe Segal is trying to get more money for Mack than what Aaron Donald will eventually sign for, Reggie McKenzie and company will probably be even more willing to play the waiting game. Remember, after this season, the Raiders can use the franchise tag in consecutive years on Mack to control his rights – essentially tying him to the team until he’s 30.
If the Raiders are waiting to see what happens with Donald, they might be in for a treat because the Rams don’t have a lot of cap room this year ($2.6M) and Jared Goff is entering his third year in the league (Carr got his contract after his fourth year). The Rams already know it’s already going to be a tight squeeze to pay Goff when the time comes – so who knows what they are thinking with Donald.
There’s been chatter that the Raiders should try to trade Mack, but that seems like the most unlikely of all the scenarios. He means too much to the organization and he’s too good of a player. Trading hall of famers in their prime is rarely a good idea. If the draft was happening next week and Raiders could get a duffel bag full of first round picks, maybe it could happen, but there’s no pick compensation that would be worth losing Mack in July.
Just a guess, but Mack’s situation seems destined to end with Khalil showing up in time to be credited with an accrued season and play out his fifth-year option. He gets a little more leverage each year and if the Raiders let it drag out too long, Mack could end up with all the leverage – similar to what Kirk Cousins did to the Redskins.
One other note. Amari Cooper will be entering his fifth-year option next year and you guessed it… he has the same agent as Mack.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I wouldn’t be surprised if Mack decides to sit out the season and wait to be traded. That would be appropriate, given how stupid the organization has been for years, to see the best defensive player in the league wind up elsewhere.
Sir…you are an idiot!
Ditto!!
Mack doesn’t want to be traded, for 1. 2 he can’t sit out the season, or he essentially adds another year to his current contract. He can’t become a free agent until he plays out his current contract, and the Raiders can franchise tag him for 2 years after that. Either way, Mack is a Raider until he’s 30.
Sit out and lose $14 million? Not gonna happen.
Suck it,Raider hater.
Silly, Silly, comment! If Mack sits out, he does not accrue a year toward free agency. He is back in the IDENTICAL situation next year. That pushes his unrestricted FA year until he is 31. No way!
I’m starting to think the team doesn’t have the money to pay Mack what he wants. Earlier this off season, Reggie publicly said they weren’t worried about paying him. He also said a deal would get done before training camp. Next week is week # 2 and reports say they’re not even close and that negotiations have broken down. I doubt they were unaware of what his ask would be or that he upped his ask. The longer they wait, the more difficult it will be to keep their core. Cooper is probably going to be hit with a 5th year option himself and will likely tie up a huge chunk of their cap space. Mack and Coop are only a year apart in terms of draft status and both are # 1 picks. They can’t franchise tag them both so they’ll end up losing one of them for sure. I love Derek Carr but it’s looking like they should have paid Mack last year and found a way to extend Carr this year. Carr hasn’t quite earned that large contract and he probably would have been easier to work with than Mack. Not sure this will end well for Oakland.
Carr would have been a free agent this off-season had he not been extended last year, and if that happened there would have been a bidding war for his services (which would have been ridiculous). Seriously, teams like Denver, Minnesota, Arizona, Jax, NY, and Miami to name a few, would have offered him 35+ mill a season, easily outbidding Raiders, or forcing them to pay a lot more then they did.
Mack is a key defender, but by himself, he doesn’t make three defense top 10. Carr did exactly that in 2016, before the trash rookie OC decided to change the scheme of the best OL in the NFL to something they’ve never done before, effectively destroying the offense. Calling the fewest play action plays of any OC despite facing more stacked boxes then any other offense didn’t help matters, nor did Carr’s back injury.
That said, a QB has a much larger influence over the final score of a game then a defender does, which is why defenders don’t make as much money.
Those of us that listen to The Pillaging Podcast we have known for a while that the Raiders do not plan on signing him to the extension until next year. I’ve never heard Reggie say that Mack would be signed this year. His agents are also the same ones that represented Von Miller and they didn’t get a deal done with him until he was franchised. The reason there hasn’t been talks since feb is because they’ve already been told it’s not happening till next year. Oh and who cares is Amari has the same agent he still hasn’t proved he can catch the football.
I find it disturbing that all these “experts” that show up in the comments know so little about the subtle art of contract negotiation. Mack isnt going to sit out (moronic to even think it) and the other fool with the “they dont have enough money to pay him” comment should read the article again and try to learn something. 5th year option and tag if they dont get a deal done. The Raiders own Mack for at least 3 more seasons and if you think he is going to sit youre on drugs. Sorry guysMack is a Raider for the next 3 years at least.
You know something? I’m already sick & tired of this Mack holdout. I say the man signed a contract for which he has this year left. ( get your *** in there and shut up) 14 Million. I wish they would just trade him for a good CB, one that’s not injured all the time. We really don’t have the money he wants any way. Maybe Carr would give back 6or 7 Mil. and add in on to the back of his contract which they will be in Vegas and don’t have to pay state tax.
If Mack can’t even talk to Reg, then a trade might work. Segal is more a$$hole than agent. Franchise tag is claimed as leverage by players, but if Mack is tagged, gets severely injured, he gets that one year salary. Thats it. Sign a 4 year contract for $80 million and $50 million guaranteed and that is a lot better deal. So if Mack were put on the trading block we might get a pretty fair value in return. Also clear a bunch of cap space. Resign Bowman, and move ahead. This drama crap is negative in every aspect.