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Chargers Accused of Overpaying This Free Agent in 2025

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Jay Canale | Last updated Mar 28, 2025 5:22 PM ET

NFL veterans are an important cog in NFL roster building, bringing essential knowledge and experience to teams. The best vets are culture-changers, ushering the young players along and improving everyone around them.

They are also seen as a gamble, however, as predicting when the quality of their on-field play will decline is a challenge. The Chargers decided to roll the dice again this offseason, re-signing 34-year-old future Hall-of-Famer Khalil Mack to an expensive one-year deal.

In an article published Wednesday by Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon, Mack was listed as the Chargers’ most overpaid player coming out of the busy season of free agency. In this piece, Mack was said to be “an over-the-hill situational player,” despite having 163 total tackles and missing just one game in his three years with the Chargers.

Mack’s 2024 campaign was considered lackluster by some, considering the way he revived his career in 2023 with a dominant 17-sack season. This number was good for the fourth-most sacks in the league that year, so his six-sack 2024 season has fans concerned he may not have much left in the tank going forward.

The Chargers clearly disagree, as his one-year deal worth $18 million makes Mack the 17th highest-paid edge rusher in the league in 2025. Considering his six sacks last year were tied for 50th in the league, the contract and his play don’t line up on paper.

The thing that’s important to remember is that edge play isn’t all about how many sacks a player gets. Though Mack may have only had six total sacks, he was 22nd in hurries, 33rd in QB hits, and 26th in total pressures. Mack was still a productive pass rusher last season, even if his sack count didn't match that description.

Even though Mack may not have the same athleticism and bend he used to, his raw power and strength haven’t left him. Here’s a clip of Mack getting into the chest of Raiders left tackle Kolton Miller and running him into Gardner Minshew's lap in Week 1.

Khalil Mack is what old people like to call "biblically strong" pic.twitter.com/w2DocHHv7M
— JP Acosta (@acosta32_jp) September 9, 2024

The other part of Mack’s game that has been one of his calling cards throughout his career is his ability in the run game. PFF gave Mack an 88 for his run defense grade, good for second in the league at his position. Mack’s instincts, speed, and strength are still top-notch as you can see in the clip below from the Chargers’ Week 9 game against the Browns last season.

THAT Khalil Mack https://t.co/Xd8VR337Aa pic.twitter.com/yvYvJJmOVy
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 5, 2024

The off-field value in having Mack on the Chargers' roster is his ability to lead a locker room. In an article from March 10th by The Athletic, they offered additional insight into Mack’s contract.

“Since joining the team, Mack has become one of the most revered and trusted leaders in the Chargers’ locker room. He was paramount in Harbaugh building his culture in Los Angeles last season,” The Athletic NFL Staff explains.

Though Bleacher Report’s article made some good points, it doesn’t seem Mack is the overpay they are making him out to be.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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