Khalil Mack almost walked away this offseason. But, if LA can win a playoff game, or even a Super Bowl, Mack may choose to "go out on top."
Getty
Khalil Mack #52 of the Los Angeles Chargers is introduced before the game against the Chicago Bears at SoFi Stadium on October 29, 2023 in Inglewood, California.
Following last season’s devastating loss to the Texans in the Wild Card round, Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack entered the offseason “unsure about his football future,” according to ESPN‘s Kris Rihm. But, Mack’s desire to win a Super Bowl made his return to LA a “no-brainer,” writes Rihm. Now, Mack has a chance to join the ranks of past greats who have chosen to “go out on top.” As Bleacher Report‘s Kristopher Knox writes, “If L.A. can put Mack in the Super Bowl, or at least give him his first career playoff victory, he may choose to walk happily into the sunset.”
Khalil Mack One of Seven Vets Who Could ‘Go out on Top’ After 2025 Season
At the end of last season, Mack openly contemplated hanging up his cleats. For the first time in his career, he entered the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. With the Chargers’ 32-12 Wild Card loss still fresh on his mind, Mack said the following in January:
“Man, it’s a lot of different thoughts in my head right now. I can’t really speak on a definitive decision in terms of what I’m going to do because I don’t know if I’m going to play football moving forward, so there’s some things I got to talk through with my wife, spend some time with my kids and try not to make a rash decision after a loss.”
Fortunately for LA, Mack took his time and decided to return to pursue the ultimate goal: winning a Super Bowl. If the Chargers don’t reach those heights this postseason, Mack may still decide to step away from football, even if it means he won’t “go out on top.”
Mack experienced a precipitous drop in his sack production from 17 in 2023 to 6 in 2024. But, it was likely due to injury, as he strained both groins during the Chargers’ Week 9 win over Cleveland. He recorded 4.5 sacks and 5 tackles for loss over their first 8 games. But, the injury limited him to a total of 32 snaps over the next 3 games. He was even inactive for their Week 11 win over the Bengals.
Following his return from injury, Mack initially struggled to get to the quarterback. He recorded just 1.5 sacks across his final 7 games. But, he looked more like his normal self during their playoff game, recording 2 of the team’s 3 sacks against the Texans‘ C.J. Stroud.
Knox believes that the Chargers can help Mack “reach the NFL’s zenith this season” and go out on top.
“L.A. was a playoff team last year but suffered from an underwhelming receiving corps and a defense that collapsed down the stretch,” writes Knox. “It added pieces to address both issues this offseason and is entering Year 2 under head coach Jim Harbaugh.”
“If L.A. can put Mack in the Super Bowl, or at least give him his first career playoff victory, he may choose to walk happily into the sunset,” writes Knox.
Mack Returning to Chargers in 2025 a “No-Brainer”
After contemplating retirement this January, Mack is saying all the right things as he heads into year 4 in LA. Mack told ESPN‘s Kris Rihm on Wednesday that re-signing with the Chargers was a “no-brainer.” After admitting that he did look at other options this offseason, the 34-year-old ultimately decided to return to LA. Mack signed a fully guaranteed, 1-year, $18 million deal with the Chargers on March 10.
“I had to be fair in the approach to things and not making it about just finances and all the different things,” said Mack, according to Rihm. “I tried to make it more so just about winning ball games.”
NFL.com‘s Kevin Patra pointed out that Mack is focused on reaching a milestone that has eluded him thus far. He wants to win a Super Bowl. Despite a laundry list of individual accomplishments, including 9 Pro Bowls, 3 First-Team All-Pros, 1 DPOY and an appearance on the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team for the 2010s, Mack has yet to win a single playoff game.
As Patra writes, Mack “believes L.A. is the best spot to end that ignominious record.”
“Just not wanting to give up on that goal and that ambition that I have ever since I stepped into the league,” Mack said. “I knew I wanted to play in important games and win a Super Bowl.”