Why unrestricted free agent Khalil Mack returned to the Chargers: 'It was a no-brainer'

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Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack said his decision to return was not a complicated one because of the leadership and roster in place. (Vera Nieuwenhuis / Associated Press)
Facing unrestricted free agency for the first time in his illustrious career, Khalil Mack could have chosen any team to chase his championship ambitions. Why did the star edge rusher choose to stick with a franchise that has never won the Super Bowl?
'Why not here?' the Chargers edge rusher wondered back.
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Praising the leadership under coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz, the players on the roster and his familiarity with the franchise, Mack's decision to return to the Chargers wasn't that complicated at all.
'It was a no-brainer,' he said this week during Chargers minicamp in his first comments with local reporters since January.
Read more: 'You gotta move on': Chargers' Justin Herbert focusing on future, not playoff failure
In his last public comments, Mack was swirling in the disappointment of the Chargers' wild-card loss to the Houston Texans. The 34-year-old flirted with retirement. For a former two-star recruit who went to Buffalo, Mack has little else to prove at the professional level. Nine Pro Bowl selections. Three All-Pro honors. The 2016 Associated Press defensive player of the year.
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But still no playoff wins.
'You're chasing that feeling of wanting to win important games deep in the season,' said Mack, who has gone one-and-done in the postseason five times. 'Being that I haven't reached that point yet, I couldn't give up on that dream and that goal for myself and for this franchise.'
Mired in their own postseason drought, the Chargers have not won a playoff game since the 2018 season. Their last two attempts flamed out spectacularly. The 27-point blown lead in Jan. 2023 was the largest in franchise history. Last year, quarterback Justin Herbert threw a career-high four interceptions against Houston.
Despite the jarring end, the Chargers' surprising 11-6 regular-season record in the first year under Harbaugh positions the franchise well for the long-awaited breakthrough. Wanting to continue the momentum was a key hope for the offseason.
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'l was begging and pleading with him to come back,' safety Derwin James Jr. said. 'I just knew for him to come back like that, he really loves us and he really wants a shot at it again.'
Mack, who signed a reported one-year, $18 million deal, had six sacks and 39 tackles last season, a stark drop from his resurgent 2023 that featured a career-high 17 sacks and 75 tackles. Nursing a complicated groin injury, he missed a game for the first time in his Chargers tenure.
But entering his 12th season, Mack insists getting in top physical shape is the easy part. On Thursday, Harbaugh was shocked when reminded that Mack was 34 years old. Mack was working with Chargers executive director of player performance Ben Herbert for weeks before the team started their offseason regimen, defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said.
The workouts suddenly got so popular that one random weekday, Minter was stunned to see so many players that they could have held a defensive walk-through. Echoing Harbaugh, Minter called it the 'Herb Effect.' It has Mack under its spell.
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'Herb is a big deal,' Mack said. 'He was a big part of that decision coming back here as well. Just knowing the mindset that he has and how he thinks about the body. It's just the same approach and the same mindset that I have when I train by myself or with anybody else. I want to be a machine. I want to be as solid as possible, as strong as possible. Move people easy. And this program is all of that.'
For the first time in his Chargers tenure, Mack is without running mate Joey Bosa, who was cut in a salary-saving move. After three injury-riddled seasons punctuated his nine-year Chargers career, Bosa signed with the Buffalo Bills.
It's weird without his former teammate, Mack said. He recently texted Bosa about how different the edge rusher room felt without Bosa breaking the silence with awkward jokes. They will at least reunite at Bosa's wedding next year.
Bosa's departure opens the door for third-year edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu to step into a starring role. The USC alumnus started 20 games in the last two seasons as Bosa struggled with injuries and had a career-best 8 1/2 sacks last season.
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Read more: Rashawn Slater returns to Chargers minicamp amid contract talks
'Tuli is a special player, man,' Mack said. 'I've been saying that ever since he stepped foot into the building, what, three years ago now. … It's not going to be no surprise to me when he's a 10, 12 sack guy this year.'
The Chargers drafted SEC defensive player of the year Kyle Kennard in the fourth round to bolster the edge room that also includes 32-year-old Bud Dupree.
Mack's return was one of the first offseason moves the Chargers announced, and while he could have waited longer to entertain options from other teams as an unrestricted free agent, he chose not to linger on the market. Balancing financial decisions with his career and family, Mack kept a single focus.
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'It's just not wanting to give up on that goal and that ambition that I had ever since I had stepped in the league,' Mack said. 'I knew I wanted to play in important games and win a Super Bowl at least.'
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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.