Raiders coach Jon Gruden hopes for Khalil Mack contract extension
Through the first weeks of the Oakland Raiders minicamp, All-Pro defensive end Khalil Mack has been notably absent. Mack hasn’t been involved with the team due to eyeing a new extension this summer. He is in the fifth-year option of his rookie deal that is worth $13.4 million for the 2018 season.
Head coach Jon Gruden has now chimed in on the situation stating that he’s hoping that a new contract can be worked out with the 27-year-old in the near future, according to Eddie Paskal of Raiders.com.
“I don’t know; I just hope so,†said Head Coach Jon Gruden when asked if he thought Mack would be joining the team sooner than later. “One of the big reasons I came here was to coach that man, but I don’t want to speculate. There’s a lot of guys in the league, several players that are in a similar situation, and we’re just trying to resolve it as soon as possible. In the meantime, we’ll coach the players that are here.â€
The Raiders have a strong desire to work things out with Mack. The team wants to make him a long-term part of their future. This is unsurprising given the type of talent he has become and how valuable he is their defensive game plan. He has developed into one of the premier pass rushers in the league. As well as that, he has shown he can have a huge impact on the field.
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Through his first four years, he has produced like an elite talent. He has nothced 40.5 sacks, which are the third-most over that span in Raiders history and fifth-most all-time. Mack is also coming off an impressive season where he notched 10.5 sacks, which has made him only the fifth player in team history to record more than 10 sacks in three different campaigns.
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This may come down to the Raiders’ willing to possibly making him the highest-paid defensive player in the league. With there still being a couple of months until the start of the season, this entire situation could continue to linger on.
