TAMPA — Khalil Mack is 34 years outdated, however he might have one or two extra productive seasons left as a cross rusher.
The Chargers star is among the many finest in NFL historical past, with 9 Professional Bowl appearances, 4 first-team All-Professional choices and an NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months award whereas enjoying for the Raiders in 2016.
He is also about to change into an unrestricted free agent, and there are only a few of these gamers the Buccaneers don’t have some stage of curiosity in.
The Bucs have had discussions about Mack, who had 39 tackles and 6 sacks this previous season with the Chargers.
There’s no secret Tampa Bay’s largest want is for an edge rusher. Yaya Diaby led the group’s edge rushers with 4.5 sacks this previous season, down from a team-leading 7.5 as a rookie in 2023. Former first-round choose Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had solely two sacks, and the Bucs didn’t choose up his fifth-year choice.
Chris Braswell, Tampa Bay’s second-round choose in 2024, had just one.5 sacks as a rookie.
“Now we have to do a greater job dashing 4,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles stated Tuesday on the NFL scouting mix in Indianapolis. “We will get cross rush with strain, however you don’t need to strain on a regular basis. I feel we have now to do a greater job with 4.”
Mack is a lock to change into a first-ballot Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer, with 107.5 sacks over his 11-year profession. His 6 sacks final season got here with 54 pressures. He additionally pressured seven fumbles over the previous two seasons, and Bowles has stated he’s on the lookout for “ball hawks.”
Two seasons in the past, Mack was nonetheless elite, compiling 17 sacks in 2023. NFL free company begins March 12, so the Bucs will likely be linked to quite a few gamers. But it surely’s additionally a time when brokers attempt to drum up curiosity for his or her purchasers, and there’s no scarcity of misinformation.
The Bucs’ curiosity in Mack is actual, however it’s laborious to find out whether or not that may end in a signing and even a suggestion from the group.
