ESPN's Dan Graziano included Mack among 10 players who could be moved before the November 10 deadline in his latest trade preview.
"The Chargers being 0-3 is one of the big surprises of the early part of the season," Graziano wrote. "They expected to be high-level contenders and therefore are not of the mindset to be moving players. If they turn it around and look like the team we expected, then no, I don't think they'd trade their beloved veteran edge rusher."
He added the obvious flip side: "But if they don't turn it around, and if they think they're slipping out of contention come early November, Mack could be appealing to a contending team looking to improve its pass rush for the stretch run."
A Contract Built For Exactly This Scenario
Mack re-signed with Los Angeles this offseason on a one-year deal worth $18 million, fully guaranteed, with $10 million of that already paid out as a signing bonus.
That structure matters for any trade. An acquiring team would only be on the hook for whatever remains of his $8 million base salary at the time of a deal, making him a relatively cheap short-term rental compared to most proven pass rushers.
If the Chargers lose to the Seahawks and fall to 0-4. I think it’s time for @JohnLynch49ers to make the call…
— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) October 1, 2026
And bring Khalil Mack to the #49ers.
Thoughts? 👀 pic.twitter.com/Hy9HBMPmuO
Mack is still productive at 35, with two sacks, four tackles for loss, and seven quarterback pressures through three games this season.
He entered the year with 113 career sacks, nine Pro Bowl selections, three first-team All-Pro nods, and the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year award on his resume, a track record that keeps him firmly on contenders' radars even at this stage of his career.
It's already been floated that the Rams and 49ers as two teams that could make sense if the Chargers end up selling, both built around win-now rosters that could use rotational pass-rush depth down the stretch.
The Chargers made the postseason in both 2024 and 2025 and were widely expected to contend again this year, so an 0-3 start is still viewed internally as a correctable problem rather than a reason to blow things up.
With a brutal stretch of games still ahead against six of their next seven opponents having made last year's playoffs, Los Angeles doesn't have much room left to turn things around before the calculus around Mack starts to shift.
