Chargers’ Khalil Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu emerge as prime NFL trade deadline chips

The 2026 season has gone sideways for the Los Angeles Chargers. Fresh off back-to-back 11-6 campaigns under Jim Harbaugh, they have stumbled out to an 0-4 start heading into October, becoming just the third team in league history to open 0-4 after consecutive 11-win seasons. With the losses piling up, league-wide speculation is turning toward a possible fire sale ahead of the Nov. 10 NFL trade deadline.

Optimism was high when former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel arrived as offensive coordinator, but the results have not followed. The Chargers sit near the bottom of the league in points scored and total offense, and Justin Herbert is posting career lows in completion rate, passing yards per game and touchdown-to-interception ratio. With a tough stretch against the Broncos, Chiefs and Rams on deck and betting markets already slashing their projected win total, talk is growing that this could quickly become a lost year in Los Angeles.

Khalil Mack profiles as a short-term rental for contenders

Khalil Mack is at the center of the early chatter. The 35-year-old pass rusher is playing on an expiring contract, which makes him an obvious candidate for teams looking to bolster a playoff run. Even amid the Chargers’ struggles, Mack has been effective, logging three sacks, 14 tackles and 13 pressures through four games, only three seasons removed from a 17-sack campaign.

A reunion with the Chicago Bears, where he earned three straight Pro Bowls and produced 36 sacks in 53 games from 2018 to 2021, is one plausible path if Chicago decides to add veteran juice to an already solid edge group. Pass rush-needy contenders such as the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, both sitting near the bottom of the league in sacks while dealing with injuries up front, also fit the profile of clubs that could call Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz about the former Defensive Player of the Year.

Tuli Tuipulotu draws interest as a long-term edge solution

While Mack would be a classic rental, Tuli Tuipulotu represents a potential cornerstone acquisition. The young edge rusher broke out with a Pro Bowl season in 2025, posting 13 sacks and 20 tackles for loss. He has followed that up with 18 tackles, two sacks, two pass breakups and an interception in four games this year, highlighted by a standout performance against the Seattle Seahawks that included six tackles, a forced fumble and his first career pick.

Tuipulotu is scheduled to earn less than $6 million in 2026, far below his current level of play. The Chargers are believed to have already engaged his representatives about a long-term deal. If those talks stall, it would make football sense to explore trading him for premium draft assets, particularly after the team invested a first-round pick in another edge defender, Akheem Mesidor, in the most recent draft.

Teams with disappointing pass rush production, such as the Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, stand out as logical suitors. Philadelphia is tied near the bottom of the league in sacks, while Dallas, despite aggressive recent moves for Rashan Gary and Joey Porter Jr., still ranks among the worst defenses in both yards and points allowed.

Other Chargers who could surface in deadline talks

Beyond their edge rushers, the Chargers have several other players who could come up in trade discussions. Wide receiver Quentin Johnston is coming off a career-best 2025 season but has been quiet so far in 2026. His contract could complicate a move, however, after Los Angeles picked up his fully guaranteed $18 million fifth-year option for 2027.

Veteran cornerback Donte Jackson, on an expiring deal, has contributed tackles, pass breakups and a forced fumble and could appeal to secondaries seeking depth. Tight end David Njoku, now on injured reserve after a brief two-game stint in which he caught six passes for 67 yards, is another possible name to monitor if his injury proves short term and a team is willing to take a low-cost flier on his athletic upside. For now, the Chargers remain intact, but if the losses continue, they are shaping up as one of the key teams to watch as the trade deadline approaches.