The 49ers are still unbeaten, still rolling into a Monday night home date with the Washington Commanders, and still finding themselves at the center of deadline chatter.
Now 5-0 on the 2026 season, San Francisco is one of the NFL’s final undefeated teams. That has naturally sparked talk about whether the front office should push even harder on this group, and one name that has been floating around is Los Angeles Chargers pass rusher Khalil Mack.
The buzz picked up when Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reported on X, formerly Twitter, that “49ers GM John Lynch said George Kittle asked him Thursday about the possibility of acquiring veteran edge Khalil Mack, who has three sacks for the 0-5 Chargers.”
Maiocco followed that up by asking his followers, “Any guess on which player George Kittle might next ask 49ers GM John Lynch about acquiring at the NFL trading deadline?”
That prompted a playful response from Matt Barrows of The Athletic, who jokingly raised injured Los Angeles Rams pass rusher Myles Garrett.
Garrett was acquired by the Rams this past offseason from the Cleveland Browns after setting the NFL sack record last year, but he has missed the last few weeks for Los Angeles, which has been the biggest disappointment of the young season.
As for the more realistic option, Mack’s situation may be the easier one to imagine. The Chargers have tumbled to an 0-6 start to the 2026 season, making him a far more plausible trade target than Garrett.
For now, though, the 49ers’ attention stays on Monday night and protecting that spotless record against Washington.
In Other News...
Kyle Juszczyk Just Reignited A Ugly 49ers Controversy
A fresh layer was added to an old 49ers grievance after Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson got tossed in Week 6 for spitting on Raiders tight end Brock Bowers. The incident immediately brought back memories in San Francisco, where Kyle Juszczyk said Gardner-Johnson had done the same to him in a game last season, a claim that had already helped fuel some hard feelings around the league.
Gardner-Johnson pushed back on the accusation, but the latest ejection only gave the story new life for 49ers fans who remember how it played out the first time. With one ugly moment already on the record, the lingering question is less about the punishment Gardner-Johnson just received and more about what comes next for a controversy that clearly was never fully put to rest. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Face A Costly Linebacker Test At The Worst Time
A linebacker room already under pressure now has one more wrinkle to sort out, and it comes at a bad time for San Francisco. Dre Greenlaw will miss the next game after his Week 5 ejection for headbutting an opponent, leaving the 49ers to adjust defensively as they prepare for Washington.
The immediate answer appears to be rookie Jaden Dugger, who is expected to step into Greenlaws role for the matchup with the Commanders. For a defense that leans on Greenlaws presence and experience, the timing makes this more than a simple depth-chart shuffle, especially with the appeal process having already run its course. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Could Face One Sneaky Problem On Monday Night
The 49ers are set to host the Washington Commanders on Monday night at Levis Stadium, and the setup looks more like a late-fall Bay Area evening than a weather worry. Temperatures are expected to dip into the upper 50s by kickoff, with stadium gates opening in the afternoon for fans making their way in for prime-time football.
Still, there is one small element that could matter once the game gets going. The forecast calls for minimal rain, but the wind could become the more noticeable factor as the night wears on, and that can have an impact on both the passing game and any decisions that reach into field-goal range. [Read more 🡒]