Is Von Miller a precautionary tale for Chargers and Khalil Mack?
The Los Angeles Chargers have a tough call to make with edge rusher Khalil Mack this offseason.
On one hand, it seems obvious – give one of the heart and souls of the team a big contract extension and consider cutting Joey Bosa to balance the scales. Cap space isn’t really a concern, but it’s an option.
On the other, Mack battled a nagging injury last season, only recorded six sacks (down from 17 the year prior), and will turn 34 years old next month.
The negative talking points, especially when it comes to age, smack oddly reminiscent of the Buffalo Bills and Von Miller.
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Back in 2022, the Bills took a gamble on an aging Miller, giving him a six-year, $120 million contract that was effectively a three-year pact worth $52.5 million. Miller will turn 36 this offseason.
Over the three seasons since signing the deal, Miller has never played in more than 13 games and has just 14 sacks. He’s one of the bigger win-now whiffs the Bills have made while attempting to go all-in around Josh Allen that has seemingly capped them at slotting just under teams like the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC.
Perhaps there were bigger warning signs with Miller, though, as he split time between two teams in 2021 before going to Buffalo and hadn’t had double-digit sacks in a season for one team since 2018.
Mack, on the other hand, just had 17 sacks in 2023 and eight the year before that. Take out an injury-riddled 2021, and before this year, he’s had eight or more sacks in a season every year except his rookie debut in 2014.
Even so, the possible precautionary tale is something to keep in mind while the Chargers weigh whether to throw massive assets at Mack despite the needs on the roster elsewhere.
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