49ers Should Hone in on Chargers DE Khalil Mack

There is a chance for the 49ers to bring in Chargers All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack.
49ers Should Hone in on Chargers DE Khalil Mack
49ers Should Hone in on Chargers DE Khalil Mack /

The Los Angeles Chargers are open for trade business.

Pass rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack could be on the way out of Los Angeles with the Chargers open to letting them go, per Dianna Russini of The Athletic. 

Bosa is surely the one who will be linked to the San Francisco 49ers the most. Being on the same team as his little brother Nick is sure to be exciting. However, he isn't the player the 49ers should hone in on -- Khalil Mack is. 

There is no way the 49ers should bring in Joey Bosa. The guy cannot stay healthy at all and quite frankly is a bit overrated of a pass rusher, especially compared to Nick. Mack is the one who is actually a dominant player and hardly has health concerns as he comes off a 17 sack season. 

He is the one the 49ers should take massive interest in as they desperately need another effective pass rusher opposite of Nick Bosa. But the 49ers should not look to trade for Mack. In fact, they really can't due to their salary cap constraints anyways. Should they acquire Mack, or Bosa, via trade then they will take on roughly $22 million of a cap hit. A trade is off limits for the 49ers. 

However, a way they should hone in and pursue Mack is if he becomes a free agent. The Chargers are likely to release either Bosa or Mack when the 2024 league year officially commences on Mar. 13. That is because they are $20 million over the salary cap, so they have to clear that space by then. Bosa or Mack are the best candidates for the Chargers to fix that issue.

So, in the event that Mack gets released, the 49ers should be all over him. It does get tricky given the 49ers' own cap constraints, but to get a player like Mack in their ranks would do wonders for their defense. It is worth restructuring however many players necessary to get it done and backloading a deal with Mack. Remember, the 49ers had interest in Mack six years ago.

Albeit, Mack was a younger player with a ton of upside. He doesn't have that upside anymore, but he is still a tremendous player coming off a great season. The 49ers should look into all possibilities of how they can bring Mack in should he become a free agent. 


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Jose Luis Sanchez III
JOSE LUIS SANCHEZ III

Jose Luis Sanchez III has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily for FanNation since 2019. He started off as the lead publisher for FanNation's All49ers, then switched positions to become the Deputy Editor in 2020. Sanchez writes, edits, and produces videos daily for All49ers. He also co-hosts a show on YouTube with All49ers lead publisher Grant Cohn weekly. Prior to FanNation, Sanchez started his writing career back in 2016 for the school newspaper at Skyline college where he covered all sports team in the Bay Area. Following that from 2017 to 2019, he found a role as a contributor for FanSided's news desk along with their site's Just Blog Baby covering the Las Vegas Raiders and Golden Gate Sports every professional Bay Area sports team. Atop all of that, he was able to graduate with a Bachelors degree in Communication Studies at San Francisco State University in 2020. Sanchez is committed to ensuring he delivers transparent analysis and straightforward opinions that resonates with readers to get them thinking.