3 reasons why the Khalil Mack trade is all upside for the Chargers

3. Khali Mack's contract is more than manageable

The Chicago Bears wanted to get off of Khalil Mack's contract, which might be an indication that his contract is going to hinder the LA Chargers. In reality, the Bolts were in a position to absorb a contract like Mack's and even if the worst-case scenario happens, the team has flexibility and his contract will not hinder anything.

First of all, Mack only has a $17.75 million cap hit and the Chargers still have plenty of space to spend. According to Daniel Popper of The Athletic (who crunched the numbers), the Chargers have just over $13 million to spend in free agency and that is before cutting Bryan Bulaga.

Cut Bulaga and the team has just shy of $25 million to spend on free agents in 2022. The team could pay Kyzir White $7 million a year, Sebastian Joseph-Day $8 million and still have another $10 million to address the cornerback position. Or the Bolts could go bold and bring in someone like J.C. Jackson.

There are still plenty of options on the table for the Chargers, especially considering they can also open up ample cap space this offseason by restructuring deals. LA can really be as aggressive as they want this offseason.

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As far as future years go, the cap is expected to spike over the next two years, which makes Mack's salary-cap hit more manageable. His cap hit will be $22.9 million next season and $23.25 million the following season. If things go array, the Chargers can easily cut him prior to the last year of his deal without any issues.