Khalil Mack Bears Reunion Talk Gets Louder: The Chargers' 24-9 Loss to the Rams Drops Los Angeles to 0-7
Ian Rapoport said Sunday that a Mack reunion with Chicago is 'still very much a possibility.' Hours later the Chargers lost again, and the Nov. 10 trade deadline is now the only clock that matters.
The condition was set on Sunday morning television, and by Sunday evening it had been met. Appearing on NFL GameDay Morning, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport said the Chicago Bears 'may not actually be done' after their blockbuster trade for defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons, telling viewers he is told Chicago is 'still calling around, still looking on the edges of their defense,' and that he would not be surprised if a Khalil Mack trade was in the offing — 'a possible reunion for Mack and the Bears.'
Hours later, the Los Angeles Rams beat the Chargers 24-9 at SoFi Stadium, scoring 21 unanswered points after a sluggish first half. Matthew Stafford finished 17-of-25 for 157 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and the Rams' defense intercepted Justin Herbert twice — Herbert went 24-of-32 for 257 yards, but the Chargers never reached the end zone. The loss dropped Los Angeles to 0-7, the last winless record in the league, with the Houston Texans visiting next weekend.
That is the math now pressing on the Mack question. The 35-year-old edge rusher, who entered Sunday with three sacks and 19 combined tackles in six games, is playing on a one-year deal he agreed with the Chargers last March, and the NFL trade deadline falls on Nov. 10. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler has estimated Mack could be had for a future Day 3 draft pick and put the chance of a deal at roughly 35 percent — real interest, but nothing close to a certainty.
The counterweight is also on the record. Reporting this week said the Chargers have shut down trade inquiries for their veterans and insist they are still trying to win, and Mack himself has expressed faith in the team amid the rumors. A trade would be the third of his career, and both previous ones ran through Chicago: the Raiders sent him to the Bears in 2018, and the Bears sent him to the Chargers in 2022. Whether the circle closes a second time is now a nine-day question — and after Sunday, it is a louder one.
