From the moment he entered the NFL after the then-Oakland Raiders made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2014 draft, Khalil Mack has been an absolute menace to opposing quarterbacks.
After recording a respectable 4.0 sacks in his first professional season en route to a third-place finish in the Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, the University of Buffalo alum broke out something fierce in his second season with 15.0 sacks and tacked on another 21.5 over the next two years, ultimately earning a trio of trips to the Pro Bowl and a pair of First-Team All-Pro selections during that three-year stretch, also winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2016.
Mack continued to dominate after being traded to the Chicago Bears ahead of the 2018 season, tallying 36.0 sacks in his four years in the Windy City, earning another three Powl nods and another pair of All-Pro selections (one First Team, one Second Team).
The Florida native was dealt to the Los Angeles Chargers ahead of the 2022 campaign and has added another 36.5 sacks to his total over the past four seasons, including a career-high 17.0 in 2023, six of which came in one game against the Raiders in Week 4.
Now back with the Bolts on another one-year deal, Mack enters the 2026 season with 113.0 career sacks to his name. And with just a few more, he can crack the top 25 on the NFL's official all-time list.
Khalil Mack has a shot to enter the top 25 on the NFL's all-time sack list in 2026
Now, NFL sack totals are interesting, as they didn't become an official statistic until 1982. The fine folks over at Pro Football Reference did some digging a few years back and added sacks dating back to 1960, which we'll circle back to momentarily, but as far as the official list is concerned, Mack's 113.0 currently has him in a tie for 29th all-time alongside Sean Jones, who amassed the same total from 1984 to 1996 between the Raiders, the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans), and the Green Bay Packers.
We won't run down the entire list here, but we'll start at No. 20 and work our way down.
- T20. Dwight Freeney: 125.5
- T20. Myles Garrett: 125.5
- 22. Robert Mathis: 123.0
- 23. Simeon Rice: 122.0
- 24. Clyde Simmons: 121.5
- 25. Calais Campbell: 117.0
- 26. T.J. Watt: 115.0
- T27. Danielle Hunter: 114.5
- T27. J.J. Watt: 114.5
- T29. Sean Jones: 113.0
- T29. Khalil Mack: 113.0
As you can see, Mack sits just 4.0 sacks out of the No. 25 slot, but you'll also notice that there are a few active players ahead of him in Calais Campbell, T.J. Watt, and Danielle Hunter. So, it's not just as simple as getting to 4.0, as we'll need to see how that trio fares throughout the year. No matter how things shake out, just even having a chance to crack the top 25 is a monumental accomplishment that shouldn't be taken for granted.
Now, as to where Mack sits on the aforementioned unofficial list, his 113.0 are currently good for a tie for 40th, which, of course, is still phenomenal. It'll be much more difficult for the 35-year-old to make his way into the top 25 on this list, as he would need to tie that career-best of 17.0 to get there, as Claude Humphrey sits in that slot with 130.0. But just for kicks, let's go ahead and have a look anyway.
- 25. Claude Humphrey: 130.0
- 26. Jim Marshall: 129.5
- 27. Derrick Thomas: 126.5
- T28. Dwight Freeney: 125.5
- T28. Myles Garrett: 125.5
- 30. Robert Mathis: 123.0
- 31. Cedrick Hardman: 122.5
- 32. Simeon Rice: 122.0
- 33. Clyde Simmons: 121.5
- 34. Calais Campbell: 117.0
- 35. Jacob Green: 115.5
- 36. T.J. Watt: 115.0
- T37. Danielle Hunter: 114.5
- T37. J.J. Watt: 114.5
- 39. Harvey Martin: 114.0
- T40. Sean Jones: 113.0
- T40. Khalil Mack: 113.0
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