Khalil Mack Rumors: Raiders Have Made No Progress in Contract Extension Talks

Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images

The Oakland Raiders and defensive end Khalil Mack remain at an impasse when it comes to a contract extension, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday.

According to Rapoport, the two parties are “nowhere” when it comes to a new contract and that Mack could potentially miss regular-season games without progress in negotiations:

Mack is under contract with the Raiders after they exercised the fifth-year option as part of his rookie deal. He’s set to earn $13.8 million before hitting free agency next spring.

Mack is one of the NFL’s best defensive players.

Through his first four seasons, he has racked up 40.5 sacks along with earning three trips to the Pro Bowl and receiving first-team All-Pro honors on two occasions. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 7 overall player heading into 2018.

Rapoport noted Mack’s holdout presents Jon Gruden with a big challenge in his return to the NFL. Although Reggie McKenzie is Oakland’s general manager, Gruden’s 10-year, $100 million deal grants him plenty of influence on the team’s roster moves.

The Raiders wasted little time locking up Derek Carr, signing him to a five-year, $125 million extension in June 2017, but that was well before Gruden arrived.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the feeling among NFL front-office executives is that Oakland would want at least two first-round picks in return for Mack in a trade. If he’s not sold on Mack as the cornerstone of the defense, then Gruden may have an opportunity to further build the roster to his preferences.