Chargers might have serious Khalil Mack competition from 2 NFC teams

The Los Angeles Chargers want Khalil Mack back, even Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz haven’t been shy expressing that in public.

But whether the Chargers can actually prevent Mack from leaving in free agency is hard to say.

Typically, one could presume the Chargers might’ve used a franchise tag on Mack to prevent a trip to the open market at all. But when requesting a contract restructure last offseason, the Chargers gave Mack a no-trade clause.

As such, Mack heads to market with the intent to test it and ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano have heard that some notable teams could have an interest:

“Teams agree edge rusher Khalil Mack played lights out last season, and the only real concern with his free agency is age (he's 34). A few people I've talked to have made potential connections to the Buccaneers and Bears. Tampa Bay typically doesn't spend big on external free agents but is looking for pass-rush help.”

The hurdles the Chargers face when thinking about a massive contract for Mack are problems other teams will encounter, too. He’s over the age of 30 and potentially headed out of his prime while projected to get $24 million in average annual salary from his next team.

Whether a rebuilder like Chicago wants to take on that risk for short-term improvements is hard to say. Really, whether Mack wants to pack up and leave Los Angeles now is equally worth asking.

As always, the Chargers could move on from Joey Bosa and clear roughly $25 million in cap space, which they could then shift to Mack. It’s one possible way to clear all speculation on this front.

Barring a move with Bosa in the coming days, though, nothing will be a sure thing with Mack ahead of next Monday’s legal tampering window opening.

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