Chargers accused of overpaying 'over-the-hill' player in free agency

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The Los Angeles Chargers accomplished one of their big offseason goals by re-signing Khalil Mack before he could slip to free agency. 

Generally speaking, the Chargers were praised for getting Mack back on a short-term contract once Jim Harbaugh and Co. found out that he wouldn’t be retiring just yet. 

Not everyone is a fan of the move, though, with Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon listing every team’s most “overpaid” player and coming up with Mack: 

“The 34-year-old is back at a price of $18 million for 2025, which is extreme considering his limitations as an over-the-hill situational player who has been held to fewer than 10 sacks in five of his last six campaigns.”

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Given how the Chargers operate under new general manager Joe Hortiz, it’s pretty hard to find an “overpaid” player on the books, though. A trade candidate like Trey Pipkins (9.25 million cap hit in 2025) comes to mind. But again, overpaid is tough to find for a team that had roughly $90 million in free cap space before the Mack deal. 

Regardless, Mack is not a situational player at this stage of his career just yet, having played 81 percent of the defense’s snaps or more every year that hasn’t been shortened by injury. That includes last season as he battled through a nagging lower-body injury. 

Compared to what Mack might’ve fetched on the open market from a new team and how rough the Chargers defense would be without him, Hortiz and Harbaugh are probably more than happy with this alleged overpay. 

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