Khalil Mack is one of the biggest free agents this offseason and is someone who the LA Chargers undoubtedly want to retain. As a free agent for the first time in his career, Mack will exhaust every option, which may result in the veteran leaving Los Angeles.
Mack is expected to have a robust market with his main goal being to find a team that can contend for a Super Bowl and give him the first win of his playoff career. The Chargers are in a good position to do that in 2025, but so are other teams with cap space.
With ample cap space, a need for a premier edge rusher and one of the most exciting young quarterback-head coach duos in the sport, the Chicago Bears could be a potential landing spot for Mack this offseason. It is safe to say that just about every Bears fan would be open to reuniting with one of the most beloved players in recent memory.
However, Mack could also land with a team that would break Bears fans' (and Chargers fans') hearts. In his latest piece for ESPN, Matt Bowen outlined the best fits for the top 50 free agents this offseason; for Mack, Bowen circled none other than the Green Bay Packers.
"The Packers adding Mack to pair with Rashan Gary would boost their pass rush off the edges. Mack had six sacks and 41 pressures in 2024 with the Chargers," Bowen wrote. "And even though he's turning 34 this week, he's still a three-down force with the steady play speed to heat up the pocket."
Packers named best fit for Khalik Mack, much to the chagrin of the Chargers and Bears
If Mack ends up on his "best fit" this offseason then there will be two extremely disappointed fanbases. Chargers fans will be disappointed as it will mark the end of Mack's tenure in LA while Bears fans will be disappointed that a former fan favorite is heading to a division rival.
The Packers do check several of the boxes that Mack likely values this offseason. Green Bay has $42.1 million in cap space and has made the playoffs in each of the last two seasons. In a wide-open NFC, the Packers absolutely can make a run similar to the run the Eagles made this season.
That being said, the Chargers have more cap space ($63.4 million), are in a similar position as a contending team, and wouldn't require Mack to move across the country to cold Green Bay. If the two offers from the Chargers and Packers are the same then it is hard to see Mack favoring the latter.
Either way, this is bad news for Bears fans who are hoping to have a reunion with Mack this offseason. Chicago has just as much cap space as the Chargers ($62.9 million) but was not a playoff team last season and has been rather dysfunctional in recent years.
Mack witnessed this dysfunction in the front office firsthand. A new regime under Ben Johnson may be intriguing but if Mack wants elite coaching he will just stay with Jim Harbaugh. And if that doesn't work out, Matt LaFleur isn't a bad plan B.
Maybe it's time for Bears fans to consider other pass rushers who could join the team this offseason.