The Los Angeles Chargers are staring down a brutal 0-6 start to the 2026 NFL season, and the whispers around star edge rusher Khalil Mack are getting louder by the day. Despite their absolute nightmare of a record, the Chargers have been adamant they aren’t trading any of their core players, Mack included. But NFL insider Tom Pelissero just dropped a report on his Substack suggesting that hardline stance could melt faster than a Seattle drizzle if their winless streak stretches to 0-8 before the trade deadline. Can you believe it?
The Chargers’ Stubborn Stand (For Now)
Pelissero isn’t the only one seeing the writing on the wall. The Athletic’s Jonathan Jones reported Saturday that teams are “confounded” by the Bolts’ refusal to even engage in trade talks. They are 0-6, the *only* winless team in the NFL, yet General Manager Joe Hortiz is telling everyone Mack is off limits. It’s wild. Jones thinks it’s impossible for that to remain the case over the next 10 days. Seriously, at what point do you face reality? Pelissero thinks the “floor for a potential Mack deal” would be something like the Colts’ trade of DeForest Buckner, which snagged a 2027 fourth-round pick for Indianapolis from the San Francisco 49ers. That’s not nothing for a team spiraling this hard.
Mack’s Value and What’s at Stake
Khalil Mack, at 35 years old, is playing this season on an expiring $18 million contract, with roughly $4.4 million of that deal remaining in 2026, according to Spotrac. He’s still putting in work, too. Mack has been on the field for 71 percent of the Chargers’ defensive snaps, racking up three sacks, 19 tackles (five for loss), and six quarterback hits this season. The dude is still productive! To not even listen to offers for a player like that, especially when you’re 0-6 and going nowhere, feels like pure denial.
No Team Comes Back From This. Ever.
Here’s the kicker: No team in league history has *ever* recovered from more than four straight season-opening losses to make a playoff bid. The Chargers are going into Week 8 at 0-6. They are literally making history, but not the good kind. This weekend, they face the Los Angeles Rams (3-4) in a critical matchup. The Rams are fighting for their playoff hopes, while the Chargers will just be trying to snag their first win of the season when the game kicks off at 4:05 p.m. ET. If the Bolts lose again, pushing them to 0-7, you have to imagine it’ll push Hortiz one step closer to finally listening to offers for players like Mack or Quentin Johnson. This isn’t just about Mack anymore, it’s about the entire direction of a franchise that looks completely lost.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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