Veteran pass rusher defies retirement, eyeing another season to chase championship glory and explore top contender options.
The two big question marks around this Los Angeles Chargers offseason are what the team is going to do to rebuild its offensive line, which was chiefly responsible for sinking the team's championship hopes in 2025, and what their plans are with edge rushers Odafe Oweh and Khalil Mack, who are both unrestricted free agents.
The team is almost assuredly in conversation with Oweh and his agent about some sort of extension, even if they have missed the deadline to slap the franchise tag on him.
Mack has been the more interesting situation to monitor. The 12-year NFL veteran has played in 177 regular season games and racked up 113 career sacks. He won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2016 and has received votes for it in two other seasons, including in 2023 with the Chargers.
In other words, Khalil Mack has played a full NFL career that he can be very proud of. What's left is the question of what he has left and what he's looking for. Is he trying to find a spot that will guarantee him starts and snaps? Is he going to sign with whatever team offers him the most money? Will he attempt to follow former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to Baltimore to play for the Ravens?
Nobody knows. But one question we did get an answer to today, and it's maybe the most important question, is whether Khalil Mack would be retiring this offseason. According to ESPN's sources, Mack has decided against retirement.
The 5th pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, and one of the best pass rushers in league history, Mack has gone 0-6 in playoff games in his career. It is possible that, like with many superstar players that can see the end of their career on the horizon, his top priority will be to land with a team that has the best chances of winning playoff games in January of 2027.
As of right now, the Chargers have the 10th best odds (according to DraftKings) of winning Super Bowl LXI (to be played at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, CA). Here are the teams with better odds:
- Seattle Seahawks
- Los Angeles Rams
- Buffalo Bills
- Baltimore Ravens
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
- Green Bay Packers
- Detroit Lions
- New England Patriots
From that list, only the Packers and Rams seem completely set on edge rushers this offseason.
The Chargers have not been shy about their intentions to re-sign Mack and would, in theory, have an inside track in doing so (both because he's been here and because they have tons of cap space). But that doesn't mean these other teams won't come calling.