Door could be opening for the LA Rams to trade for a prominent All-Pro

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Why the Chargers would not do this trade

A player whose ability to change the momentum on the football field like Khalil Mack is not a player who comes along each season. If the Chargers have any expectation of competing in the post-season in 2024, they may think long and hard for ways to ensure that Mack is on their roster.

Pass rushing is always at a premium in the NFL, and as such it's a difficult decision to part ways with one of the NFL's best at getting pressure on opposing QBs. Can the Chargers replace Mack if they do trade him away? Has the front office exhausted all possibilities of renegotiating his contract, perhaps extending him for several years into the future, while shrinking his 2024 salary cap impact?

Even if a trade is an optimal way to ensure getting something for Mack, it may not be the only resolution for the Chargers efforts to restock their roster for 2024 and beyond.

Why the Rams would not do this trade

Importing an elite playmaker like Khalil Mack dictates the roles on the team's defense. Much like how the Rams defense adjusted to accommodate veteran OLB Von Miller, the Rams would need to repurpose other outside linebackers into coverage to allow Mack to do his thing against opposing quarterbacks.

The cost to the rest of the roster could be very pohibitive. If the plan to develop pass rushers was the reason for adding players like Byron Young, Ochan Mathis, and Nick Hampton to the roster in 2023, then adding Khalil Mack to the roster in 2024 may derail the career development of those rookies.

The Rams traded a pretty hefty package to rent OLB Von Miller for one half of the 2021 NFL season, and were quite confident that they could lure him to re-sign with the Rams. But the Buffalo Bills offered a more enticing package (thank you Bills!), only to have Miller suffer an injury that all but benched him through 2022. That is always the risk with adding elite players. If they suffer an injury, that pretty much wipes out the entire season.

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