An important reminder about the Chargers as franchise tag window opens

The Los Angeles Chargers aren’t going to be one of the teams using the franchise tag this offseason.

General manager Joe Hortiz laid the groundwork for this outlook one offseason ago when working out the restructured contract with superstar pass-rusher Khalil Mack. As ESPN’s Kris Rhim pointed out recently, Mack has a no-tag clause in his reworked deal.

So, while the window to franchise tag players opens on Tuesday and remains ajar until March 4, the Chargers can’t slap the tag on Mack, which would check in around $27 million.

Mack is the team’s only serious candidate for a tag. They will, instead, have to rely on a contract extension to keep him in town – and quickly. Sometimes, teams apply a tag to prevent a trip to free agency, giving them more time to get something done. The Chargers don’t have that luxury. So whether it’s moving on from Joey Bosa to come up with more cash or something else, the Chargers don’t have much time to prevent Mack’s open-market trip.

Keep in mind, too, the Chargers have shied away from the tag in recent years. The front office hasn’t applied one since 2020, when it hit tight end Hunter Henry with it.

Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack — Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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