Chargers pending free agent Khalil Mack said to be considering retirement

Travis Wakeman

Chargers pending free agent Khalil Mack said to be considering retirement image

The Los Angeles Chargers have a host of pending free agents this offseason and at the top of that list is one of the game's best edge rushers, Khalil Mack. 

Whether Mack, who will turn 34 years old next month, chooses to re-sign with the Chargers or another team as a free agent remains to be seen, but first, he is reportedly deciding whether he wants to continue playing at all. Mack is mulling retirement as an option after his 11th season in the league. 

The Chargers were defeated soundly by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round so Mack — who has still never won a playoff game in his career — could just be taking some time to deal with a tough defeat. 

Mack has played in all but one game for the Chargers over the last three seasons and has 31 sacks in that time. He is one of the best pass-rushers of his era and could still wreak plenty of havoc against offenses for at least a couple more seasons. But the Chargers, and the rest of the NFL, will have to wait to see if he wants to put himself through the grind any further at this point. 

 

Chargers All-Pro defensive back Derwin James has already encouraged Mack to come back to Los Angeles. 

If Mack retires or if he signs with a different team, the Chargers will move Tuli Tuipolotu into his spot in the starting lineup and look for reinforcements at the edge rusher position. 

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Travis Wakeman

Travis Wakeman Photo

Travis Wakeman has been covering the NFL since 2012 when he started with Bleacher Report. After reporting about the Broncos there until 2016, he joined the FanSided network as a site expert covering the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers while simultaneously covering the Broncos at Broncos Wire when that site launched. He then took over the Broncos site at FanSided in March 2020 and covered the team there until spring of 2024. A lifelong Broncos fan and fan of the game, Travis is filled with sometimes useless NFL knowledge, but it always serves him well in any trivia contest. You can follow him on Twitter/X @traviswakeman10.