As the NFL trade deadline closes in at 4:00 pm ET on Tuesday, November 10, the market is already moving, and veteran defenders are suddenly front and center.
The Indianapolis Colts have been especially active on the veteran front. Earlier this week, they moved eight-time Pro Bowl guard Quenton Nelson to the Seattle Seahawks and helped set up a reunion between the San Francisco 49ers and three-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Back in 2020, Indianapolis landed Buckner from San Francisco in exchange for the 13th overall pick.
Then came another major move on Thursday, when the Chicago Bears paid a steep price for 2025 First Team All-Pro defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. Simmons, a four-time Pro Bowler, put up 67 tackles, a career-high 11.0 sacks, and three forced fumbles last season. Through seven games with the Tennessee Titans this year, he led the team with four sacks.
That kind of pass-rush production is exactly why Khalil Mack has become part of the deadline conversation. The 35-year-old Chargers edge rusher has three sacks for Los Angeles, and with the league’s only winless team at the bottom of the standings, speculation has picked up that the Chargers could make their own veterans available.
The Chargers have gone from playoff team to a club with the same number of losses this season as they had across 2024 and 2025 under head coach Jim Harbaugh. That has naturally raised the question: would general manager Joe Hortiz consider moving the 13-year veteran before the deadline passes?
Mack’s track record makes him one of the biggest names on the board. Drafted fifth overall by the then-Oakland Raiders in 2014, he has played for three teams and earned three Pro Bowl selections with each one. The Raiders traded him to the Chicago Bears in 2018, and the Bears later sent him to the Chargers in 2022.
His career numbers are still eye-catching: 116.0 regular-season sacks, 36 forced fumbles, 13 fumble recoveries, and three interceptions, with two of those returned for touchdowns. Still, the Chargers already have two younger players in the pipeline with rookie Akheem Mesidor and 2025 Pro Bowler Tuli Tuipulotu. Tuipulotu’s lack of a contract extension remains hard to explain, and it sounds like a deal will eventually get done.
From a football standpoint, Mack would make plenty of sense for a contender looking for help off the edge, and the draft-pick cost should be manageable. His value isn’t limited to chasing quarterbacks, either; he can still hold up against the run.
At the same time, his presence has also mattered for Tuipulotu and Mesidor as a veteran reference point. Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox suggested Mack could be available for a conditional fourth-round pick in 2027.
That’s why the trade logic feels pretty straightforward. A team like the Carolina Panthers, who have only 11 sacks in seven games and none in their last two, could use the boost.
Jaelan Phillips has also missed the last few games, adding to their issues up front. The Kansas City Chiefs, who lead the AFC West but have only eight sacks in six games, are another team that could be looking for help in the same area.
Stay tuned.
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