Getty Images

At a time when momentum seems to be building for the Raiders trading holdout defensive end Khalil Mack, a Raiders employee has pushed back aggressively.

Former Raiders player and current Raiders radio analyst Lincoln Kennedy said on FOX Sports Radio that a trade isn’t happening.

“There’s a lot of rumors circulating about Number 52 of the Silver and Black,” Kennedy said on FOX Sports Radio. “I’m here to tell you he’s not going to be traded. Khalil Mack will be a Raider, there’s no doubt about it.” (If there is any doubt about the accuracy or context of the quote, there shouldn’t be; Kennedy retweeted the message from the FSR account.)

Kennedy’s connection to the team makes his opinion noteworthy, since he’s surely in position to get someone from the Raiders to tell Kennedy what’s going on. But it’s impossible to reconcile Kennedy’s position with the rampant and growing reports of teams exploring the trade — and with the absence of any suggestion that the Raiders are hanging up the phone on teams that are calling about Mack.

If the Raiders want to end this, there’s an easy way to do it. Publicly, coach Jon Gruden or G.M. Reggie McKenzie need to come out and say that Mack is not available, period. Privately, one or both needs to say that same thing to any team that has inquired or that will inquire.

Better yet, the Raiders need to put together a package similar if not identical to the one signed Friday by Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald and offer it to Mack. Given the absence of any negotiations since February, there’s no reason to think that will happen. If it does, however, it will definitely tend to prove Kennedy’s point.

Before Donald signed his deal, it was believed that the Raiders were simply waiting for Mack to crack, showing up and collecting checks in the amount of $814,000 per week. But with Donald now making $22.5 million per year in new money, Mack’s $13.846 million for 2018 is looking like very old money.

And if Raiders fans think this talk of a possible trade is getting even older, they should be insisting on someone other than Lincoln Kennedy standing up and slamming the door on a trade.