REPORT: A Raider Reunion with Khalil Mack?

Khalil Mack will go down as one of the premier pass rushers for a franchise known for big-time pass rushers.

The Raiders selected Mack out of small Division I school Buffalo with the fifth pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and by Year 2 he was named a first-team All-Pro, notching 15 sacks.

In 64 games for the Raiders, he started every contested and racked up 40.5 sacks and 68 tackles for loss, making his four season stint with the Raiders one of the most dominant in the history of the franchise.

That dominance is enough to put him up there with Howie Long and Lyle Alzado, and others, in the pantheon of Raiders who made quarterbacks sweat the most.

Here's the thing--he could still return and add to that legacy. Back in January, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on X, formerly Twitter, "Nine-time Pro-Bowl LB Khalil Mack, who said after the Chargers’ postseason loss to the Texans that he needed to take some time to mull his future, will indeed play in the 2025 season, per source. Mack’s contract is up and he is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent."

Now, it is more clear than ever that he could depart from the Raiders' bitter AFC West rival, the Los Angeles Chargers. Per Las Vegas Raiders On SI's previous reporting:

"Mack's relationship with the Silver and Black is a bit of a question mark at this moment, but whoever the Raiders bring in at head coach and GM might want to consider giving him a look. Pairing Mack with Maxx Crosby, his heir apparent as superstar Raiders pass rusher, would be a smart move in a tough division with three star quarterbacks in Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and rookie sensation Bo Nix. The name of the game is making the opposing quarterback uncomfortable, and iconic Raiders owner Al Davis would be a firm supporter of such a move."

Again, if Mack wants to stay with the Chargers, the dream scenario of the 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year's return is moot.

But when one factors the potential departure of edge rusher Malcolm Koonce, a promising but inconsistent and injury-riddled talent, there might just be a world where the Raiders pull out the checkbook and unite Mack with another premier 21st century Silver and Black sack master, Maxx Crosby.

$95 million in cap space (second-most in the NFL, per Spotrac) makes that scenario possible. Mack likely wouldn't command top dollar, anyway; he still has plenty in the tank, too. Since turning 30 years old, Mack has 37 sacks under his belt and he has played in all but one game since 2022.

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