Predicting what the Chargers do with the 4 players on the trade block

Los Angeles Chargers v Philadelphia Eagles
Los Angeles Chargers v Philadelphia Eagles / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages
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Chargers trade Khalil Mack

Update: The Chargers have officially restructured Khalil Mack's contract and he will remain on the team in 2024.

A Mack trade is a bit more believable than a Mike Williams trade for multiple reasons. Mack is not coming off a torn ACL and is instead coming off a career season at 32 years old. Great pass rushers are a rare commodity in today's game and an edge-hungry team absolutely should be willing to shell out a day-three pick for Mack.

Sure, there is the risk of age-related regression and he does have a big salary-cap hit but he is still a productive player. If the Chargers had the room to keep Mack on the roster they would, the problem is that they can free up more money by parting ways with Mack than any other player.

Any team bringing in Mack would be on the hook for a cap hit of $23.25 million for one year. There are several teams that can currently shoulder that burden and also need an edge rusher. Teams like the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals and even the Washington Commanders could all make sense.

The Chargers don't have to get this done by Wednesday afternoon, though, which only increases the chance of the team working out a trade. The Chargers can clear over $26 million by cutting Williams and extending Allen on Wednesday. That would give the team more time to let the edge rusher market develop and find a suitor for Mack.

If Mack is still on the roster on Thursday that does not mean he will be on the roster at the start of the 2024 season. The most likely outcome is still that he will be playing for another team, preferably joining that team via trade.