The 49ers have to acquire a starting defensive end this offseason, and Khalil Mack is available.
The Chargers are willing to trade Mack, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, who says that some teams around the league believe that the Chargers might even cut Mack soon. That's because he'll cost the Chargers $38.5 million against the salary cap this season and they're more than $20 million over the cap right now. So they might need to move him or cut him before the new league year starts on Wednesday.
Enter the 49ers.
Technically, they're not the favorite to land Mack. According to BetUS, the Lions are the favorite to land him -- they have +200 odds. Meanwhile, the 49ers have +2500. They're a dark horse in this race.
But remember, the 49ers tried to trade for Mack in 2018, and believed they made the best offer for him. But the Raiders decided to spite the 49ers and trade Mack to the Bears instead. The Raiders were playing in Oakland at the time and apparently didn't want to help their cross-bay rivals.
So the 49ers have long admired Mack. And although he's 33, he's still a great player -- he had 17 sacks last season. And if he goes to the Lions, they could overtake the 49ers as the best team in the NFC.
I don't expect the 49ers to trade for Mack, but if the Chargers release him, which is quite likely, I wouldn't be shocked if the 49ers were to sign him.
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