The Oakland Raiders have had the looming contract situation involving Star defensive end Khalil Mack hang over the franchise for the last few months.

There doesn't appear to be any resolution approaching despite the start of the 2018 regular season now being less than a month away. With that in mind, former Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio voiced to TMZ Sports that the team needs to work out a lucrative deal to keep Mack for the long haul.

“Gotta pay the man!” Del Rio said … “[Mack] is the total package. Great player and an even better person!”

There has been little movement in the last few weeks toward getting a new extension in place for the Pro Bowl defensive end as this has even led to trade rumors floating around concerning his future with the Green Bay Packers being the frontrunners in the betting odds if the Raiders were ever to consider trading him.

The lack of significant dialogue toward getting that new contract hammered out has been disconcerting for the team that gives off the notion that there won't be any resolution coming in the near future. Instead, it gives off the impression that Mack's long-term future is up in the air without an extension agreed upon.

The 27-year-old has more than done his part on the field to potentially earn a lucrative deal that could make him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. He is coming off yet another highly 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.

Mack's 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. Time will only tell if both sides can reach an agreement on a deal over the next few weeks to avoid it spilling over into the regular season