The Oakland Raiders could be shopping star defensive end Khalil Mack as his holdout reaches its 11 day, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com.
The 27-year-old Mack is coming off his third straight Pro Bowl selection and is only two seasons removed from a Defensive Player of the Year Award. However, the Raiders have yet to show a willingness to commit to Mack long-term, and trading the star pass-rusher may find a new home soon.
Per Gutierrez, new Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said "the Raiders' defense was not that good in 2017 with Mack." On top of that, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie sarcastically asked Gutierrez if he had $100 million to help them pay Mack.
Mack is slated to make approx. $13.5 million in 2018, and he's eligible for the franchise tags in 2019 and 2020, per Gutierrez. Thus, trading Mack is the only option if Oakland is't willing to shell out the $100-plus million contract that he is worthy of.
Gruden, whom the Raiders brought back to coaching on a $100 million contract, was given plenty of say in player personnel decisions when he was hired. The Raiders have been bringing in players of his liking, and moving out the ones that he doesn't want moving forward.
There's obviously no replacing a player of Mack's caliber, but if Gruden doesn't think he's worthy of the big contract, the Raiders front office will likely decide he's not worth keeping around.
Through his first four NFL seasons, Mack has totaled 40.5 sacks, 231 tackles, nine forced fumbles and 11 passes defended. If the Raiders shop Mack, they'll surely receive a great package of draft picks in return.
The holdout could end at any time, of course, and perhaps the Raiders will give into Mack's contract demands. For now, however, we can't rule out the possibility of Oakland trading away one of the NFL's top defensive players.