(Mostly) no reason to fret about Mack’s holdout
NAPA >> It comes as no surprise that Khalil Mack still hasn’t reported for training camp in Napa. He is holding out on the Raiders as part of a contract dispute months — perhaps years — in the making.
There are three key reasons the situation isn’t worth your worry, Raiders fans.
There is one reason to be concerned, though — and fans of Jon Gruden might not like what I have to say.
First, let’s start why this Mack holdout is much ado about very little:
1. IT’S JUST TRAINING CAMP >>I’ve said it before: Mack doesn’t need to be at training camp anytime soon.
Coaches like to make camp out to be the most important time of the year and fans are quick to eat up that sanctimony. But Mack is an edge pass rusher; players at that position can manage more than a few days off.
Yes, the Raiders have a new defense this season, but if defensive coordinator Paul Guenther’s schemes came with him from Cincinnati to Oakland — and there’s every indication to believe they are — then Mack’s roles will be simpler to comprehend and execute than they were last year. No more unnecessary edge setting or dropping back into coverage for No. 52.
Football is a complicated game, but Mack’s job will be relatively easy under Guenther: go get
the guy with the ball. It’s something I’m certain he can manage for Week One without being at camp.
Beyond that, Mack is wise to sit out of camp — it’s the one solid negotiating tool he has. There will be handwringing and complaining, but ultimately Mack has drastically outperformed his contract for the first four years of his career and his next contract is likely to be the most important of his professional career. He needs to maximize the payday and him practicing (risking injury and removing the incentive for the team to negotiate) doesn’t help him do that. 2. AARON DONALD IS HOLDING OUT TOO >> We don’t have a great idea of Mack’s exact contract demands, but it stands to reason that he will want a contract equal to or greater than the new deal Rams’ defensive tackle Aaron Donald is looking to sign.
Donald is reportedly looking
for $25 million a year and Mack would be well-served to wait until Donald signs to come to an agreement with the Raiders — they have roughly the same market value.
Ultimately, either Mack or Donald will have to blink first. My guess: Donald signs first and Mack follows in short order.
3. TALKS ARE ONGOING >> ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Thursday that Gruden has not talked to Mack since he took over as the head coach.
I don’t know if that’s true. Gruden said he talked to Mack after he was hired, but nevertheless, the report proved to be tremendous kindling for the banter fire.
Whether Gruden has talked to Mack or not is a non-issue.
Yes, Gruden runs everything with the Raiders, but he also has a 90-man roster to coach and he’s trying to get back up to speed with the coaching profession after a decade away from the sidelines. He has a ton of other priorities to handle on the day-to-day. Small-talk with Mack shouldn’t be high on his
list.
There’s plenty of communication between Mack’s camp and the Raiders, but those are conversations below Gruden’s pay grade. The Raiders’ old/new coach is a big-picture guy who has ultimate say but will let others do the dirty work of hammering out contract details. He wants Mack on the team for the next five years and he wants him for as little money as he can pay him. It’s on his subordinates (see: GM Reggie McKenzie) to make that happen.
Are there problems with that attitude? Not at face value.
But take a step back and it is worthy of a bit concern — not as it comes to the Mack holdout, but as it pertains to Gruden’s tenure as the man in charge:
The Raiders have been setting up to give Mack a massive contract extension since before Gruden was hired.
It was a top priority, and the Raiders both have the money and the impetus to sign Mack to a new deal.
So why is Gruden playing hardball over a couple of million
dollars?
Not to be loose with money that isn’t mine, but the salary cap has gone up eight figures every year for more than a half-decade now. The money is there and any contract the Raiders give Mack will be like a bargain in a few years.
Remember: the Raiders aren’t going to lose Mack. He’ll be franchise-tagged in 2019 and 2020 (at least) if he doesn’t sign a long-term deal before his current contract expires at the end of this season. So, in turn, the Raiders are going to pay Mack $20-plus million for the next two years no matter what happens the next few weeks. As such, it’s in the best interest of Gruden & Co. to give Mack a long-term — perhaps even record-setting — deal and spread out his salary-cap hit.
Outside of waiting for Donald to agree to terms — which well might be Mack’s tactic — there’s no reason for the Raiders to not have a massive contract in front of the pass rusher right now, ready for him to sign.
Instead, it seems as if Gruden
is playing hardball in an effort to prove his mettle. It’s unnecessary and sets a strange precedent for which I can’t find much merit.
What’s to be gained by not giving Mack now what he’ll get later?
Because make no mistake, I fully expect Mack to sign a big, fat, long-term contract before the start of the regular season. Whether that comes before or after Donald signs is irrelevant. It’s going to happen, but the Raiders (and, in turn, Gruden) deserve guff for delaying the inevitable.
It’s a bad look and while it would be foolhardy to extrapolate things too far, it certainly doesn’t quell the concerns about Gruden’s ego, his favoritism towards the offense, or his curious working relationship with McKenzie.
Mack is the Raiders’ best player — there’s no reason to prolong the inevitable here. Give the man his money.