Jets should do whatever it takes to land Khalil Mack

General manager Mike Maccagnan needs to bolster the New York Jets pass rush more than what he’s done so far this offseason. Considering the tension on the Oakland Raiders with Khalil Mack, he should do whatever it takes to bring him to Gang Green.

The New York Jets have lacked a dynamic pass rusher for longer than a lot of fans have been born. 2005 with John Abraham is last time the roster featured a premier edge rusher. The Oakland Raiders and Khalil Mack have struggled to come to terms on a deal which presents an interesting opportunity for the Jets.

Mack is hands down one of the top five defenders in all of football. Few others have the ability to impact a game like he can. Since entering the league, Mack has totaled 40.5 sacks and won Defensive Player of the Tear in 2016. Mack, however, is entering year five in the league and is looking to be locked up long term. He has yet to report to training camp and appears ready to sit out the season if needed.

Mack’s fifth year option would pay him a grand total of $13.8 million. You would think that signing one of the NFL’s top players would be easy, but that is far from the truth here.

Leaving Napa, I’m told there is no present offer from the #Raiders to star pass-rusher Khalil Mack and there has been no contract talks with Mack’s camp since February.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) July 31, 2018

Raiders head coach, Jon Gruden, also said that the Raiders defense was poor last year even with Mack. Whether that means Gruden is ready to move on from Mack or not, those aren’t exactly words that would give a disgruntled player any confidence. This situation could be just what the Jets need.

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The Jets just went another offseason without upgrading their outside linebackers. Jordan Jenkins is in line to take to take one of those spots, but even he has been below par as a pass rusher so far in his career.

The other outside linebacker spot remains a mystery. Guys such as Lorenzo Mauldin and Dylan Donahue are in line to battle for the spot. The fact that Mauldin still has a chance to start, shows you how desperate the Jets are.

Mack is someone the Jets should at least be calling about to see his availability. The Raiders are stuck in a tricky situation, if Mack is determined to sit out the year. Rather than losing him for nothing, they will want to get something back for such a dynamic player.

Should he be made available, the Jets should be one of the first phone calls the Raiders get. They have the cap space and a huge need for the position which would immediately bolster their roster as well as speed up their current rebuilding process.