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Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs are a prominent team in trade discussions around the NFL involving wide receivers, but that’s not the only area they could use to upgrade before the Nov. 10 deadline.
An offensive tackle should also be on Kansas City’s wish list. But more than that, the Chiefs need to pursue a true pass-rusher to help a unit that has struggled to get to opposing quarterbacks after bursting out of the gate with four sacks against Denver Broncos QB Bo Nix in Week 1. The defense has totaled five sacks in six games since.
“ESPN Research: Chiefs forced Bo Nix into 2 of 34 dropbacks (6%), the fewest for any team since 2024 Week 5, and the fewest for the Chiefs since 2012 Week 8,” ESPN’s Ben Solak posted on X on Sunday, November 1 in reference to Kansas City’s loss to Denver in Week 8. “Chief.
Sacks, of course, are not everything. Getting any kind of pressure on opposing QBs that forces them to scramble, play outside the structure, rush the throw, start hearing footsteps, to make a big hit — all of that is very important, but the Chiefs don’t do much of any of it.
Because of that, and the fact that the Los Angeles Chargers are the league’s last winless team at 0-7, a deal for outside linebacker Khalil Mack would make an incredible amount. But there are other teams seriously interested, including the Chicago Bears based on a report from ESPN’s Ian Rapoport on Tuesday.
The Chargers Don’t Want To Trade Any Assets, Let alone the Chiefs
The Chargers stand by their position that they don’t want to trade any assets before the deadline, which is crazy since their season almost officially ended with a 15-point loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
Perhaps the biggest obstacle to Mack landing in Kansas City, outside of the stubbornness of the Chargers’ front office in the face of a clearly lost season, is that the Chiefs are an AFC West Division rival.
However, it doesn’t matter much now that the Chargers are out of contention and have already played the Chiefs once in their second meeting coming up in Week 17, when LA likely won’t be able to hold off on several key players who will remain part of the team’s future plans.
For example, there’s no reason to let opposing defenses collapse around QB Justin Herbert two weeks before the end of a lost year and risk an injury that could affect 2027.
Chiefs May Have to Pay Premium to Trade Khalil Mack
The Chargers still don’t want to help Kansas City get back to the playoffs, and possibly the Super Bowl for the sixth time in Patrick Mahomes’ career with a shot at the fourth ring.
But if the price is right, Los Angeles must still consider its own needs as any move could help an opponent incrementally. Ultimately, each of the league’s 31 franchises is a competitor with the same end goal, and therefore a rival.
Mack is 35 and on a one-year, $18 million deal. He can decide to retire after this season, or pursue the best opportunity/most lucrative contract available to him in free agency next spring.
The bottom line is that the Chargers bringing Mack to Kansas City doesn’t mean the former Defensive Player of the Year will stay with the Chiefs in 2027 and return to LA. And Mack could leave the Chargers and potentially join the Chiefs come the offseason anyway.
Mack is no longer the dominant force he once was. However, he still recorded five tackles for loss and three sacks in seven games this season and could legitimately help a contender like Kansas City. Because of this, his trade price will likely be in the range of a fifth-round pick.
The Chargers will have the intra-divisional leverage to tax the Chiefs a little more than other teams because of their long rivalry, so maybe LA will push for a fourth-rounder, and maybe the franchise can get Kansas City to agree.
Under those circumstances, a deal for Mack could work for both sides, and a fourth-rounder could also put the Chiefs ahead of the Bears should a bidding war break out.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible