{"id":129573,"date":"2025-06-14T15:33:09","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T15:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/129573\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T15:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T15:33:09","slug":"chargers-lions-connected-in-blockbuster-trade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/129573\/","title":{"rendered":"Chargers, Lions Connected in Blockbuster Trade"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the Los Angeles Chargers endure a losing 2025 season, they could trade veteran linebacker Khalil Mack to the Detroit Lions before the playoffs. Alex Kay of Bleacher Report<\/a> put together seven shocking trades that may shape the postseason, and they believe that Mack might join another contender if the Chargers don\u2019t make it to the playoffs. It\u2019s easy to see why Mack would be open to joining a new roster as he\u2019s entering the twilight of his career after having an illustrious tenure across several teams as a reliable defensive pass rusher. Originally selected in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, the former Buffalo product did admit he was looking at other teams<\/a> to sign with before eventually working out a new deal to stay with the Chargers for at least one more season.<\/p>\n

Even though Mack was mulling over retirement, he would have probably joined another team like a contender. He has yet to win his first playoff game in his career, and even though the Chargers are improving, it will be his first season in Los Angeles without Joey Bosa<\/a> on the opposite end of the pass rush. After losing Poona Ford and Morgan Fox<\/a> this offseason, the Chargers defense will look dramatically different, and the organization has yet to add another capable replacement or superstar that can strengthen this roster. The defense may struggle, and if that happens, Mack may request a trade if the team winds up having a losing season.<\/p>\n

Detroit won\u2019t be the only option he can go to. There will be plenty of teams that might offer a deal that the Chargers won\u2019t be able to turn down, and these three teams may pursue Mack.<\/p>\n

\"LionsOct 27, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) forces New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener (3) to throw an incomplete pass in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
\nChargers, Lions Connected in Blockbuster Khalil Mack Trade \u2013 3 Other Logical Destinations
\nPossible Fits
\nWashington Commanders<\/p>\n

Following a dominant 2024 campaign, the Washington Commanders are in the best position to win a Super Bowl. Quarterback Jayden Daniels will continue to be equipped with the best talent, especially after the trade for wide receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil.<\/a> However, the same can\u2019t be said about their defense since it still has a lot of question marks. The Commanders can\u2019t get to the next level if they can\u2019t lean on the defense to make plays to give Daniels more opportunities on the field.<\/p>\n

Even though they re-signed Bobby Wagner to another one-year deal, he won\u2019t be able to make plays this season single-handedly. Frankie Luvu<\/a> is the only other reliable linebacker for this unit who can put the Commanders in a good spot in getting after the quarterback. The presence of Mack would change the course of Washington temporarily, but it might be enough for a possible Super Bowl appearance.<\/p>\n

Chicago Bears<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, no one should rule out a possible reunion before Mack retires. The Chicago Bears have repaired their entire defensive line this offseason, acquiring Dayo Odeyingbo<\/a> and Grady Jarrett. This wasn\u2019t the only change, as the Bears got a few playmakers in the draft and free agent acquisitions for the offensive line to put quarterback Caleb Williams<\/a> in a good spot. If the Chargers aren\u2019t contenders this upcoming year, they should do him a favor and end his career to possibly join the Bears and maybe win a playoff game for the first time.<\/p>\n

Baltimore Ravens<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t expect the Chargers to trade Mack to an AFC team, but it\u2019s hard to ignore the fit he has with the Ravens. Between Trenton Simpson, Roquan Smith<\/a>, Odafe Oweh and Kyle Van Noy<\/a>, they are just one explosive pass-rusher away from a well-built defensive championship roster. Mack is easily the upgrade over Simpson since he had one of the worst years last season, so this might put Baltimore back in the Super Bowl.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If the Los Angeles Chargers endure a losing 2025 season, they could trade veteran linebacker Khalil Mack to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":129574,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2064],"tags":[849,1740,241,5403,741,153,7,3645,3278,1014,262,2453,2444,2443,6,1822,10420,466,10421],"class_list":{"0":"post-129573","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-chargers","8":"tag-baltimore-ravens-news","9":"tag-bobby-wagner","10":"tag-chargers","11":"tag-chargers-featured","12":"tag-chicago-bears-news","13":"tag-detroit-lions-news","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-frankie-luvu","16":"tag-khalil-mack","17":"tag-los-angeles","18":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","19":"tag-los-angeles-chargers-news","20":"tag-losangeles","21":"tag-losangeleschargers","22":"tag-nfl","23":"tag-odafe-oweh","24":"tag-ravens-featured","25":"tag-roquan-smith","26":"tag-washington-commanders-news"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/114682449518865103","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}