The futures of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are the two biggest storylines for the LA Chargers this offseason. Bosa is a cut candidate with a $34.6 million cap hit in 2025 while Mack is a free agent for the first time in his career and is looking to compete for a Super Bowl.
Those around the Chargers have been very clear about the team's desire to bring Mack back this offseason. And despite being a prime cut candidate, general manager Joe Hortiz even opened the door to keep Bosa around when speaking to reporters at the NFL Combine.
Hortiz's comments may have ultimately just been GM speak, though, as keeping Bosa with Mack being a priority appears to be far fetched. NFL insider Adam Schefter shined a bright light on this contradiction, making it pretty clear Bosa may be on his way out.
ESPN's Adam Schefter on Chargers keeping Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa: "Probably gonna be pretty tough to have both those guys back...if they can get back one of them, that would probably be pretty good." pic.twitter.com/Vppd2tBTHl
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) February 26, 2025
Adam Schefter throws cold water on Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack both returning to Chargers
Hortiz is going to say the politically correct things up until he has to make an uncomfortable move but all signs are pointing to Bosa being cut if Mack is re-signed by the Chargers this offseason.
And with how much Jim Harbaugh is pushing the team to re-sign Mack, Bosa playing for a new team in 2025 is the most likely outcome.
After all, Hortiz said nothing but great things about Keenan Allen leading up to his trade last offseason. It looked like the Chargers were going to keep one of Mack and Bosa alongside Allen. Instead, the Chargers parted ways with both Allen and Mike Williams, keeping the two edge rushers instead.
This is a similar situation where Hortiz's comments shouldn't always be taken at face value. While the Chargers could keep Bosa if the team re-signs Mack, the idea of paying over $60 million combined for two edge rushers likely is not appealing.
Schefter's comments should be taken more literally than Hortiz's. Schefter does not have to hide any information and he does not have to play nice with Bosa in the case Mack does not re-sign. There is no agenda here for Schefter: he is simply highlighting the reality of the situation.
Hortiz, meanwhile, can't back himself into a corner by not committing to Bosa's future only to be forced to keep him around if Mack does not re-sign. That would create the worst-case scenario — losing Mack and having a disgruntled Bosa for one season.
The moment Mack re-signs the clock will officially start on Bosa's eventual release. Don't listen to us, listen to Adam Schefter.