Can Khalil Mack Continue His Sack Frenzy in 2024 for the Chargers?

Edge rusher Khalil Mack is back with the Los Angeles Chargers after an offseason of speculation. According to Kevin Patra of NFL.com , Mack came into the season with a $38.5 million cap hit, so if a trade had happened, it would have completely been justified for the Chargers to get under the cap.

Luckily the team found a way to make it work and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported that “Mack took a pay cut from $23.25 million to $19M as part of a restructured contract that now prevents him from being franchise tagged in 2025.”

This is a big year for Mack because it may be his last with the Chargers, and after coming off an amazing 2023, the question lingers, can he do it again?

Khalil Mack’s 2023

There have been so many articles written recently praising Mack for his 2023 season and he’s earned every single bit of the good press. Similarly to former Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen , Mack is basically aging in reverse with a defense grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF) of 91.8 , a run defense grade of 90.8, and pass rush and receiver coverage grades in the 80s.

Even his tackling grade dramatically increased from 43.9 in 2022 to 72.3 in 2023 with 41 solo tackles and only five, count ‘em five, tackles missed out of 934 defensive snaps played. He also had a career-high in sacks (18) and battled passes (six).

Most of Mack’s numbers haven’t been this good since 2020, before the foot injury that ruined his 2021 season with the Bears, so it was incredible to see the upswing so many years later.

One of his best games had to be his six-sack game against his former team, the Las Vegas Raiders, during Week 4. Mack was relentless during that game, attacking quarterback Aidan O’Connell from all angles. The Raiders just didn’t have an answer for Mack and it seemed like many teams didn’t.

Another great game of his was against the Ravens in Week 12. On a third-and-6, with a few seconds left in the second quarter, Mack came charging off the line and when he couldn’t evade tackle Morgan Moses , he changed directions, getting to the inside and wrapping up Lamar Jackson , with some extra assistance from defensive lineman Austin Johnson to get the ball out. The Ravens recovered it but that disruption knocked them out of field goal range.

Will 2024 be a repeat of 2023 for Khalil Mack?

2022 was rough for Mack as it was not only his first season with the Chargers but also his first after injury, and Joey Bosa , who Mack was supposed to complement all season, went out the third game and didn’t come back until the end of the season. 2023 was different, as Mack was used to the system and actually had consistent help on the edge from Tuli Tuipulotu . He wasn’t as overburdened and could just play, leading to amazing results. So Mack’s excellence is in some way out of his control.

Given Mack’s track record, it makes perfect sense that head coach Jim Harbaugh would want to retain him, as he perfectly matches the physical type of defense that Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter envision. If Mack can stay healthy, I see him doing as good as last year, with the exception of the sack number. If he topped that, I’d probably fall out of my chair. Given that he is another year older if his stats declined slightly, that would be understandable. But I’m not underestimating Mack. He’s a playmaker, and I’m looking forward (fingers, toes, everything crossed) that he, Bosa, and Tuipulotu can all play together for one full season.

More must-reads:

• Another NFL Talking Head Blasts Los Angeles Chargers QB Justin Herbert In Ridiculous Way
• Trevor McCue Talks Chargers & Jesse Minter, Jim Harbaugh & Defensive Expectations | DEFENSIVE GENIUS