Mike Macdonald Khalil Mack
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ESPN's Dan Graziano projected Mike Macdonald and the Seattle Seahawks to sign edge rusher Khalil Mack in 2026 NFL free agency.
The Seattle Seahawks could lose edge rusher Boye Mafe from their Super Bowl defense this offseason. Instead of trying to bring back Mafe, though, one analyst predicted the Seahawks to go in a different direction at edge rusher — sign veteran Khalil Mack.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano projected the Seahawks to ink Mack to 1-year, $18 million deal.
“At 35 years old, it feels like Mack has reached the year-to-year portion of his career. He can still be a huge help to a contender — he had 5.5 sacks in 2025 — and some team might see him as the player it’s been missing,” Graziano wrote. “In this case, we’re sending him to a team that will be looking to repeat as Super Bowl champs and is likely losing a number of key players on both sides of the ball in free agency.”
Mack has put together a Hall of Fame resume over 12 seasons in the NFL. He made first-team All-Pro three times from 2015-18. During 2016, Mack won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.
In 12 NFL seasons, the edge rusher has earned $187.55 million according to Spotrac.
Over the past four seasons, he’s remained a Pro Bowl-level player for the Los Angeles Chargers. During 2025, he had 5.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles.
Why the Seahawks Could Target Khalil Mack in NFL Free Agency
In the same article where Graziano predicted Mack to sign with the Seahawks, he ironically predicted Mafe to land with the New England Patriots.
Should that happen, or Mafe depart Seattle to sign anywhere else, Mack could make a lot of sense for the Seahawks.
If the team doesn’t re-sign Mafe, it will likely be to bring back other free agents such as Kenneth Walker, Coby Bryant, Rashid Shaheed or Josh Jobe instead. Signing those players to longer-term deals, the Seahawks might prefer a short-term boost to help the pass rush rather than another long commitment.
Mack fits that description perfectly. He could help the Seahawks try and repeat as Super Bowl champions next season and probably won’t require a contract beyond 2026.
Mack may be beginning to show some signs of decline. He had 17 sacks and received Defensive Player of the Year votes again in 2023.
Over the past two years since then, he has just 11.5 sacks.
But the Seahawks won’t necessarily need Mack to be an All-Pro for him to have a significant impact. The Seahawks pass rush was by committee in 2025, which is what made the defense so dangerous.
Seattle didn’t have a defender with more than seven sacks in 2025. But the defense had four players with at least six sacks.
Mafe registered two sacks with four tackles for loss and four quarterback hits.
Will Mack Retire Before 2026 NFL Season?
The Seahawks biggest competition for signing Mack in free agency could be the couch. At 35 years old, the edge rusher may call it a career this offseason.
If he doesn’t, though, some analysts view him as one of the best pass rushers set to be on the market. NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal ranked Mack the No. 37 free agent this offseason.
“It’s not certain that Mack will play again in 2026. He’s still a ferocious run stopper and pocket pusher but would best be used in a rotation,” wrote Rosenthal.
The NFL.com writer didn’t name any potential destinations for Mack. But the Seahawks fit his description for what’s the best fit for Mack — run stopper and pass rusher used in a rotation.
If the Seahawks are looking to directly replace Maye this offseason, they need an edge rusher who is going to play roughly half the time.
Maye played more during the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. But last season, he lined up for 50% of Seattle’s defensive snaps.