Chargers’ Khalil Mack involved in ‘dream’ trade deadline scenario

Los Angeles Chargers star Khalil Mack, who just gave fans a brief injury scare over the weekend, the team will not be leaving via the trade deadline this year.

But as a veteran with an expiring contract and the Chargers undergoing a soft rebuild with Jim Harbaugh, Mack’s name has entered speculation ahead of that deadline.

A recent example is Chris Licata from Athlon Sports proposing a trade scenario in which the Chargers send Mack to the Atlanta Falcons: “Even at age 33, Mack is coming off back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons while still disrupting offenses. He has a one-year, $19.2 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, but more than $17 million came in the form of a signing bonus, so his relative affordability becomes an attractive part of the equation.”

Right now, though, the Chargers are in the thick of the AFC playoff race, and the conversation will likely center on whether the team brings him back this season.

Mack may be getting on in years, but he’s still super productive and just played a key role in a six-sack, three-interception his defense pulled off in the win over Cleveland. The Chargers project will be rough $76 million in cap space in 2025 before any other cap-saving move, so if Harbaugh wants to keep Mack, he’ll keep Mack.

Had the Chargers finished 2-2 and lost three of their next four, the front office might have eyed a Mack trade because of the enormous price he would command, even on an expiring deal.

But now? You have to think that the soft rebuild around Harbaugh will somehow include Mack in the 2025 season.

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