The Oakland Raiders are set to make their season debut on Monday against the Los Angeles Rams but before that, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden expressed his true feelings about Khalil Mack and the saga that his team went through in the offseason with regards to the controversial linebacker, who now plays for the Chicago Bears.

In a recent one-on-one interview with Lisa Salters of ESPN, Gruden opened up and said that Mack extended his holdout not only because he was looking for a more lucrative deal, but also because he simply did not want to be a Raider anymore.

“Obviously, Khalil Mack didn’t want to play here. That’s what’s being missed here. He was under contract, Lisa. He was under contract. He never showed up for an OTA, never showed up for a training camp and it was obvious he wasn’t going to show up for the season. Don’t forget that. We have to get ready to play and I want players that want to be here, that want to help us put this thing back in high gear.”

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The Raiders seemingly had their patience thinned out by Mack’s absence, but the linebacker likely would have stayed in Oakland if only the team gave in to his demands for a higher salary. Gruden probably was just making an alibi why the team pushed the trade button and sent Mack to Chicago instead of admitting that it was a mistake on Oakland's part to let go of one of this generation's best players.

It’s unclear whether Jon Gruden saw how well Mack played in his Bears debut against the Green Bay Packers on Monday, but Raiders fans surely wish that their team still have the pass rusher in its fold.