What Week 5 Loss Changed About Chargers' Trade Deadline Plans: Mack Deserves Better

The hope of the 2026 season is gone for the Chargers; Khalil Mack deserves a better shot this season. See how the loss in Week 5 alters and accelerates plans.

Oct 4, 2026; Seattle, Washington, USA; Los Angeles Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack (52) is seen against the Seattle Seahawks during the second half at Lumen Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Los Angeles Chargers dropped to 0-5 on the 2026 season following a Week 5 loss filled with inexcusable errors from head coach Jim Harbaugh and quarterback Justin Herbert. The Chargers were already facing a near-existential crisis when they dropped to 0-4, now with injury reports featuring more than a third of the active 53-man roster, it seems that hope for a turnaround is all but mathematically gone.

The loss directly alters the mid-season plans for the Chargers front office. Had the Chargers reached their bye and been relatively competitive with any sort of chance at making the playoffs, the Chargers would not have considered selling off any of their assets. Now, heading into week six, Los Angeles has just one more week before their bye week in week seven arrives and they very well could be 0-6 at that point.

The Chargers defense continues to play winning football. The past two seasons have been punctuated in the playoffs by elite defensive play keeping the team in the game but the offense failing to deliver. That exact result has played out of this 0-5 stretch and to be frank, veteran Khalil Mack deserves better.

Mack chose to come back to the Chargers this offseason as his Hall of Fame-worthy career begins to wind down. He trusted the Chargers and the people in the building to get the offense going in the right direction, now with the failures at hand, the Chargers need to do right by him and trade him to a contender of his choosing.

Trading a veteran and leader like Mack would have been unthinkable six weeks ago. Now, after dropping to 0-5, the Chargers should have a sense of urgency to get him off the ship before it sinks.

The week five loss also opens the door for more phone calls and potential deals. The Chargers coaching staff and front office are unable to claim that they still believe they are going to be competitive down the stretch and every team in the NFL knows this.

The Chargers do have several position groups with younger depth who could benefit from extra snaps to finish out the season and give the team a better gauge of potential impact players for next season. Los Angeles has a pair of starting edge rushers outside of Mack and a deep rotation of off-ball linebackers.

Oct 11, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Denver Broncos cornerback Sean Fresch (37) is tackled by Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Marlowe Wax (58) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The NFL trade deadline has been relatively quiet in recent years compared to expectations, but trades have begun to increase in frequency. The Chargers should take advantage when teams come knocking.

The 2026 season is all but over. Dropping to 0-5 should shift the team's focus from trying to save their season to trying to build and develop for the future. A veteran like Khalil Mack would be a welcome addition to any contender and the Chargers have to consider giving their younger players larger roles.