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In the last several weeks, things have remained quite far apart between the Oakland Raiders and All-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack regarding his contract situation.
Head coach Jon Gruden hasn't provided any more clarity on the situation as he has voiced on Monday that he couldn't provide a timetable for when Mack will be back on with the team, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic.
Gruden doesn’t have a timetable for Mack’s return. “It’s been a grueling process for both parties and the fans.” #Raiders
— Vic Tafur (@VicTafur) August 27, 2018
This only further indicates how far things are apart between both sides at this point in time as there hasn't been any significant progress toward a new lucrative contract for Mack. He has been holding out from offseason workouts and training camp with no continuous dialogue concerning a new deal getting done in the near future. This has even put potential trade talk into the picture as there could be several teams interested in his services such as the Green Bay Packers or New York Jets.
In his first four years in the league, Mack has established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league. He is a premier pass rusher. He is coming off yet another impressive campaign where he had a team-high 10.5 sacks, which made him the fifth player in team history to record at least 10 sacks in three different seasons. His 40.5 sacks through his first four years are the third-most by a player over that stretch in Raiders’ history and fifth-most all-time.
All of this has put him in the position of being firmly in the conversation to earning a contract that could make him possibly either the highest-paid defensive player or among the top in the league. What has been most concerning about this entire situation is the utter lack of consistent dialogue on both sides over the last few months. With the start of the regular season around the corner, things could finally heat up on this front.
