Should the Chargers Trade Khalil Mack This Season?

The Los Angeles Chargers’ season seems to be on the brink of disaster heading into their Week 4 matchup against the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks this Sunday. They’re 0-3 and have a laundry list of problems, especially on the offensive side of the football, where they have fallen far short of the lofty expectations people had.

If this season continues to go south for them, as most expect it to, perhaps it could be time for them to tank, at least in a low-key way. That could entail selling off at least one of their key players for draft capital in an attempt to reload and supply head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel with better weapons.

Some feel that one accomplished veteran on defense — Khalil Mack — has to go, perhaps before anyone else.

Would it be right to trade Mack?

While Mack played decently last season, he appeared in just 12 games due to a dislocated elbow. While he had 5.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss and four forced fumbles, he didn’t record a single pass breakup.

It was thought that he would retire following the 2025 campaign. But Mack returned for this season on a one-year, $18 million contract, and he has registered two sacks, four QB hits and three tackles for loss in three games so far this year.

On his latest NFL trade block big board going into Week 4, Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report listed Mack as the top trade candidate, and he projected the 35-year-old’s trade value to be a conditional fourth-round draft pick in 2027. Knox listed the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers as potential suitors.

One has to assume that Mack could retire after this season. If he retires as a member of the Chargers, that would mean they would get nothing for him. At this point, the Bolts need to stockpile draft capital in order to build their roster with more quality players over the next year or two.

If they get a solid offer for Mack, especially if they somehow get offered a Day 2 pick (which seems unlikely), they should pull the trigger. Future stars can be found in the fourth round of the draft, such as Drue Tranquill, a linebacker L.A. drafted in 2019. Although Tranquill left the team following the 2022 season, he joined the Kansas City Chiefs and won a Super Bowl championship with them the following season, and he’s still going strong for them this year at age 31.

The NFL’s trade deadline this season is Nov. 10. With the Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and Houston Texans coming up on L.A.’s schedule after this Sunday, the team could very well be 0-8, or at least 1-7, by the deadline.