Chargers Reject Trade Calls at 0-5, Hold Khalil Mack Ahead of Chiefs Showdown and Nov. 10 Deadline

The Los Angeles Chargers are 0-5, and they are telling the rest of the league they are not sellers. According to The Ringer’s Tom Pelissero, general manager Joe Hortiz has told multiple GMs who have called about Chargers veterans that the team is not interested in trade offers, believing it is close to turning things around and making no plans for a fire sale.

The stance gets its first real test Sunday afternoon, when the winless Chargers visit the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6. A bye follows in Week 7, and the NFL trade deadline arrives November 10, which means one result in Arrowhead Stadium could change the conversation quickly.

Why Teams Keep Calling the Chargers

Pelissero’s list of potential trade candidates is long. It includes edge rushers Khalil Mack, Bud Dupree and Tuli Tuipulotu, linebackers Daiyan Henley and Denzel Perryman, cornerback Donte Jackson and defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson, all on expiring contracts. He also noted he would not be surprised if teams in need of running back or receiver help inquired about Keaton Mitchell, Kimani Vidal and Quentin Johnston.

Mack is the headliner. The five-time All-Pro signed a fully guaranteed one-year, $18 million contract in the offseason to return for a fifth season with the Chargers, and he has 116 career sacks, including three through five games this year. The Athletic reported Mack does not have a no-trade clause, despite earlier reports stating otherwise, so the team could move him if it decides to sell. Mack has said he is “still ring chasing” in Los Angeles. A Bears reunion has been floated as one logical fit, with a fifth-round pick pegged as his approximate value.

The record is hard to argue with, but the way the Chargers have lost explains the front office’s patience. Last Sunday they fell 23-17 at home to the Broncos after leading 17-10 entering the fourth quarter, then being outscored 13-0 down the stretch. Their defense held Denver to 224 yards on 57 plays, or 3.8 yards per play, and the Broncos converted just one of 12 third-down tries. The damage came from late mistakes: two fourth-quarter fumbles, a fourth-down interception by Justin Herbert, and a failed fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak that coach Jim Harbaugh called “the wrong decision” afterward.

The offense remains the issue. Herbert threw for just 121 yards against Denver and was sacked five times behind an offensive line that featured four rookies, including three players making their first NFL start. He has accounted for nine turnovers, seven of them interceptions, through five games. Los Angeles has scored 84 points and allowed 129, and Harbaugh remains under contract through 2028, with Pelissero reporting no signs of major changes under discussion ahead of the bye.

Chiefs Spread and the Futures Market

The betting market is not buying the turnaround. Kansas City is listed as a home favorite of roughly a touchdown and a half to eight and a half points depending on the book, with moneylines around Chiefs -460 to -500 and Chargers +340 to +380. The total has come down from an opening number of 46.5 to about 41.5 to 42.5, reflecting the strength of both defenses and the struggles of the Chargers’ offense. Los Angeles is 0-4-1 against the spread this season, having failed to cover against Denver in Week 5. ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Chiefs a 75 percent chance to win outright, projecting them by 6.7 points.

Season-long markets are even harsher. One sportsbook lists the Chargers at +10000 to win the AFC West, behind the Chiefs at -190, the Broncos at +180 and the Raiders at +1400, and at +15000 to win the AFC Championship. Their playoff price has been listed at +1600 to make the postseason versus -5000 to miss it. Prediction markets paint a similar picture: Kalshi priced the Chargers at roughly a 6 percent chance to make the playoffs and under 1 percent to win the division, while a model fit to Kalshi’s win totals projects an average of 5.3 wins.

What It Means for the Deadline Market

For bettors, the Chargers’ refusal to sell matters most as a timing signal. If Los Angeles falls to 0-6 on Sunday, the logic behind holding veterans gets much harder to defend, and the pressure to move Mack and the other expiring contracts before November 10 would rise. Any trade would also move the lines. Losing a pass rusher like Mack, or a defender such as Henley or Jackson, would weaken the one unit that has kept the Chargers competitive, which could push future spreads and totals in Los Angeles games against them.

The reverse holds for contenders. A team that lands a veteran edge rusher or defensive back at the deadline can see its own win total and championship odds nudged, especially at thin positions. Until the Chargers change course, those buyers are left watching Los Angeles’ schedule, which includes the Chiefs, the Rams and the Texans before the deadline, with the Week 7 bye in between.

The market’s view is clear: a team priced in the single digits to make the playoffs and a heavy underdog at Arrowhead. If the Chargers prove it wrong this week, the sellers’ talk fades. If not, the phone calls Hortiz is declining now may be hard to keep ignoring.