The Chicago Bears admitted they reached out to the Los Angeles Chargers front office multiple times, and everyone was just waiting for the trade announcement to drop. It never did.
After weeks of Mack-to-Bears reunion and Mack-to-several-other-teams rumors, The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones confirmed that “The Chargers have confounded teams by not engaging in trade talks. The Bolts are 0-6 but are telling teams Khalil Mack isn’t available.”
Chargers Not Hearing Trade Offers for Khalil Mack, Other Veterans
Even Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer confirmed that the Bolts are actively shutting down any calls for all their veterans, not just Mack.
“The Chargers have shut down trade inquiries for their veterans, even as the team sits at 0–6,” Breer writes. “So while there are questions about guys like Khalil Mack and Quentin Johnston, for now, GM Joe Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh appear unwilling to wave any sort of white flag. We’ll see if this weekend’s game against the Rams changes things.”
GM Hortiz made the same statement weeks ago about not entertaining trades, but that did nothing to calm down the trade rumors. Because they never won any games following that statement.
Their situation has only worsened, and all teams are merely waiting for them to crack under pressure and cave in.
Chargers Might Be Forced to Trade Mack
Jones also adds that it would hardly be the case over the next 10 days. “It’s hard to envision that remaining the case over the next 10 days.”
They take on the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8, followed by the Houston Texans in Week 9. While those games look winnable on paper, an 0-6 record suggests it’ll be an uphill battle just to stay competitive.
Dropping both effectively buries their season, locking them into an 0-8 hole, and setting them up for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
At that point, Jim Harbaugh has to consider flipping high-value veterans like Khalil Mack, who still has Super Bowl-caliber football left in the tank, to a legitimate contender. Instead of clinging to a lost year, Los Angeles needs to hoard premium draft capital and jumpstart a true roster reset.
The 0-6 start has already put immense heat on Harbaugh’s seat. Stubbornly holding onto elite talent they can’t put in position to win will only make that seat burn hotter.
Chargers Remain Stubbron in Khalil Mack Trade Plans