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Mack, 35 and a former Bear, is on an expiring contract that Chicago currently has enough cap space to absorb. Jones pegs Mack’s trade value as worthy of a fifth-round pick, which the Bears also have. The hold up at the moment is that the 0-4 Chargers aren’t ready to deal. Los Angeles takes on the Broncos this weekend looking to avoid going 0-5, but if they don’t it could accelerate their willingness to start trading.

Mack briefly pondered retirement this offseason after 12 years at the professional level. The one-year contract is fully guaranteed and brings him back to the Chargers for a 13th season after playing for the franchise for the previous four years. Mack’s 113.0 career sacks currently are tied for 29th in NFL history, a mark he looks to improve upon on his new one-year deal.

Mack is set to enter free agency next week. Fowler notes that Mack would likely prefer to sign another one-year deal, and “could go back to the Chargers,” but he believes Mack is “open for business.” Adding a capable edge defender to an already-elite unit is an exciting prospect for the recent Super Bowl LX champions.

Mack, 35, is set to hit free agency next month, but Rapoport reports the veteran pass-rusher “is a priority” for the Chargers to keep in-house. Whether or not the two sides are able to agree on a deal before free agency kicks off next month remains to be seen, but Mack would have a decent market if he were to become available. He totaled 32 tackles, six TFLs, and 5.5 sacks in 12 games last season, missing a chunk of games due to an elbow injury he suffered in Week 2.

The Chargers get a solid boost to the interior of their defense ahead of a showdown against the Colts in Week 7, with both linebackers making their return from injured reserve. It’s a slight downgrade to the rushing matchup for Jonathan Taylor and we could see the Los Angeles defense generate more organic pressure on quarterback Daniel jones.

Mack was limited all week. If he is active, it would be unsurprising to see him used as a situational pass rusher. The team could keep him sidelined for one more week, just to be safe, though. Chargers LT Joe Alt (ankle) is listed as doubtful to play after practicing in a limited capacity twice, and RT Trey Pipkins III (knee) has been ruled out. He did not practice this week.

Mack will practice today, per Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh. The veteran pass rusher ranks third among Chargers defenders in pass-rush win rate (12.5 percent) while also grading out as the third-best player (69.0 PFF pass-rush grade). Unfortunately, OTs Joe Alt (ankle) and Trey Pipkins III (knee) will not practice today.

Per Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh, the injury is not considered season-ending, so Mack’s will miss at least the next four games before being eligible to return. Mack suffered a dislocated elbow in the Chargers’ Week 2 win over the Raiders. The veteran pass rusher has totaled one tackle, four quarterback pressures and one sack this season.

Mack appeared to suffer a serious arm injury during Monday night’s win over the Raiders, and after evaluation, he should be able to avoid surgery and return to the LA lineup in October. It’s great news for a Chargers defense that has allowed the third lowest success rate to opposing offenses through two weeks, generating consistent pressure on enemy quarterbacks. Mack has one sack and two QB hits over the season’s first two games.

Mack underwent imaging on his elbow, and the results of that testing hasn’t been made public. The 34-year-old defender seems unlikely to be ready to go against the Broncos in Week 3.

Mack headed to the locker room while holding his arm and exiting the contest, and he’ll undergo imaging to determine if there’s any structural damage. The 34-year-old’s status for the remainder of the game — and potentially the coming weeks — should be updated shortly.

It’s a fully-guaranteed deal for Mack, who turned 34 earlier this offseason and is coming off a six-sack season. His six sacks tied for the second-lowest total in his career, but Mack still proved to be highly effective when on the field. Amongst qualified EDGE rushers, Mack’s 90.2 defensive grade, per PFF, ranked fourth highest, while his 88.0 run defense grade was good for second. His 49 pressures were tied for 26th-most at the position. It’s a good deal for Mack given the drop in his raw numbers, and it gives the Chargers a reliable pass rusher after they released Joey Bosa last week.

ESPN’s reporting has Mack playing in 2025, and Mack is already on record as saying: “As long as Justin Herbert is your quarterback, and you got Derwin James and all these guys that love the game of football, and you got Jim Harbaugh coaching them, you know you always have a chance to win. That’s a no-brainer in the sense of, yeah, if you know football, then you know.” If winning remains the main priority for Mack, it’s hard to imagine a better situation than the Chargers unless he truly wants to go ring-hunting on a bargain contract.

After the Chargers’ devastating loss to the Texans in the Wild Card round, Mack said he wasn’t sure if he would return for his 12th NFL season. Mack, entering his age-34 season, will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh said last week that the team would be interested in bringing back Mack for 2025 after he recorded six sacks and 35 quarterback hurries over 16 games in 2024. LA had the league’s sixth lowest QB pressure rate (19 percent) in 2024.

Harbaugh specifically said that he wants to bring everyone back, and “nobody more than” Mack. Soon to be 34 years old, the impending free agent had a quiet 2024 season. He totaled just six sacks a year after tallying a career-high 17 sacks. Still, Mack was an integral part of an LA defense that immediately turned things around in Harbaugh’s first season as the head coach. We fully expect GM Jim Hortiz to do everything in his power to keep the big names in town.

Mack, an unrestricted free agent, will turn 34 in February. The Chargers are already actively recruiting him to come back for a 12th season, and Mack said complimentary things about rejoining the team. It does seem likely that Mack will be managed going forward and is perhaps a candidate to rejoin a team later in camp. Mack had just six sacks in 16 starts, but also had 35 hurries per PFF charting.