Odell Beckham and Aaron Rodgers both hit the jackpot with mega contracts this week, with Aaron Donald soon to follow.
So where does that leave the Raiders and 2016 Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack?
General manager Reggie McKenzie has fielded calls in recent days from teams interested in trading for Mack, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on Wednesday’s edition of Total Access Live. Those general managers and personnel executives checking in with McKenzie have been left with the impression that the Raiders have "no imminent interest" in dealing Mack, per Pelissero.
"Reggie McKenzie has had multiple offers to him — a first-round pick and another high pick," Pelissero explained. "I’ve been told he’s been offered a player for Khalil Mack. To this point, none of that has gotten anywhere. So what people around the league believe is that to even start the conversation, you’re talking about having to offer two first-round picks on top of needing to give [Mack] a top-of-market, $20 million-plus per year contract."
One of the teams shopping for the perennial All-Pro pass rusher is the Jets, according to the New York Daily News.
Even if Gang Green is enthusiastic about the prospect of a blockbuster deal, though, the Raiders are of a different mindset. Pelissero’s report echoes that of NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, who told The Rich Eisen Show earlier this week that he has received no indication Oakland would even entertain the notion of a Mack trade.
Due to earn $13.846 million in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, Mack has held out of training camp and preseason action in hopes of securing a lucrative extension. Although Jon Gruden is asked about Mack’s status on a semi-daily basis, the team’s new head coach insists the contract staredown is not a distraction.
As Mack racks up hefty fines for skipping the preseason grid, however, his absence is looming like a silver-and-black cloud over the start of the regular season. The two sides had not negotiated in earnest since February, Rapoport reported early in training camp.
Absent any sign of progress, Raiders faithful are left to hope that the process will accelerate once Donald lands a prodigious pay day that establishes a template for Mack to remain in Oakland under a new deal of his own.