Edge defender Khalil Mack’s playing days could be coming to an end.
Mack spoke to the media a day after the Chargers’ loss to the Texans and said he is contemplating retirement.
“Man, it’s a lot of different thoughts in my head right now,” Mack said, per AP Sports’ Joe Reedy. “I can’t really speak on a definitive decision in terms of what I’m going to do because I don’t know if I’m going to play football moving forward, so there’s some things I gotta talk through with my wife, spend some time with my kids and try not to make a rash decision after a loss.”
Mack’s contract with Los Angeles is up, and he is set to hit the free agency market for the first time in his 11-year career.
Mack, who will be 34 next month, is coming off another productive season in which he finished with six sacks and nine passes defended en route to being named to his ninth Pro Bowl.
This marked Mack’s fifth playoff appearance. Like each of the other trips, it was one-and-done for him. He has yet to advance beyond the Wild Card Round.
“I don’t want to go out with a loss based on who I am. I definitely want to make that push and play some important games in the playoffs,” Mack said. “I am trying not to think too much ahead but give myself some time and a grace period to think things through.”
If Mack decides to hang up the cleats, it’s not because he feels the impact of getting older but because he wants to spend more time with his family, which includes his wife, Brianna, and their two kids.
“It is more the mental strain of the game, just what it takes away from your family. It is one of the things that will weigh heavy on my decision,” he said.
Mack said he doesn’t have a timeline for his decision. But he will undoubtedly consider what head coach Jim Harbaugh did for the Chargers in just one season and the potential of the team after an offseason of retooling with plenty of cap space and draft picks.
“It was a special year understanding what he has done in the short time he has been here and the potential in the building. The growth is inevitable,” Mack said about Harbaugh. “It was impressive what we were able to do and squeeze out.”
