Las Vegas Raiders News & Rumors

Khalil Mack saw two of his 2014 draft class mates sign lucrative Raiders extensions this offseason, but like other 2014 first-rounders, the reigning defensive player of the year remains attached to his rookie deal.

The Raiders, though, plan to get serious about a Mack extension after this season. Reggie McKenzie said this week he anticipates the Raiders and Mack discussing a re-up this coming offseason, with the GM adding (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com) “I hope his agent feels the same way.”

Bair notes the Raiders want this deal to come way before a deadline nears. The nearest one would be the 2019 league year forcing a franchise tag decision. The Chiefs and Broncos saw their premier pass rushers reach that point in 2015 and ’16, respectively, en route to record payouts. And the Chargers ended up playing it this way with Melvin Ingram. Both Von Miller and Ingram played five seasons on their rookie contracts, with Justin Houston playing four due to being a third-round pick. Eyeing an extension by next year, the Raiders do not envision this scenario hitting a fourth AFC West team.

Oakland is projected to hold just $14MM in 2018 cap space, but the McKenzie regime frontloading contracts affords the franchise flexibility to cut bait free of charge on some of its other deals if it seeks to create more space. With the exception of Derek Carr, Gabe Jackson and Donald Penn, none of the Raiders’ veteran contracts will have much dead-money consequences next year.

McKenzie authorized extensions for Carr and Jackson in advance of their contract years in June before stopping short of a Mack deal, one that would almost certainly reset the market for defensive players. Mack did not hold out and has continued his top-flight play. Pro Football Focus rates the fourth-year player as its fourth-best edge defender through nine games, which have featured 4.5 Mack sacks.

Mack is signed through 2018 via $13.8MM fifth-year option. The 26-year-old edge player should have a greater argument to not only become the highest-paid defensive player but do so by a bigger margin than he would have had this deal come to pass in 2017.

Miller’s six-year, $114.6MM pact came in a year when the cap stood at $155MM. Next season’s could rise to nearly $180MM, raising the price for extensions. Mack and fellow 2014 first-rounder Aaron Donald may both become $20MM-per-year defenders, but unlike the Rams’ setup, the Raiders would then become the first team to pay two players $20MM annually since Carr is signed to a $25MM-AAV accord.

It sounds like they’re willing to make that happen.