Two first round picks for Maxx Crosby, if he is at all available this offseason, may be too steep of a price to pay for Tampa Bay Buccaneers General Manager Jason Licht, who has generally avoided big splash trades, but he is going to have to find production off the edge somehow. Los Angeles Chargers veteran outside linebacker Khalil Mack may not be an elite player anymore, but Crosby's AFC West rival is still plenty productive.
The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed that Mack, now 35 years of age, will be playing once more in 2026 after a productive season in which he recorded 5.5 sacks and 11 QB hits. He broke up another streak of three straight Pro Bowls, but the former Las Vegas Raider and Chicago Bear was still quite good. As such, the Chargers do want to prioritize keeping him, but he is exploring his option in free agency and is expected to be one of the marquee targets, per Rapoport.
If you just look at the impending free agents available off the edge, Cincinnati Bengals star Trey Hendrickson, who is a former Defensive Player of the Year candidate in that Crosby elite tier, is the clear No. 1 guy. And he is the dream target for many Buccaneers fans, especially if Licht is reluctant to swing for the fences for Crosby.
Khalil Mack is ready for free agency
Beyond Hendrickson, though, there are still plenty of intriguing candidates. Odafe Oweh blew up as one of the league's top pass rushers in the back half of the 2025 season and the Los Angeles Chargers playoff push after being shrewdly acquired in a trade with the spiraling Baltimore Ravens. And Oweh was great even in the Chargers playoff defeat to eventual AFC Champions the New England Patriots.
Oweh should be a priority target for the Buccaneers alongside Hendrickson, but the Bucs should also be interested in a supplementary option. Perhaps even a double swoop for Chargers teammates Oweh and Mack to join YaYa Diaby in the Bucs very thin edge rusher room would be in order.
Again, Mack is not half the player he was at 25 when he was one of the best defensive players in the NFL, but even close to half of that is still literally better than the players the Buccaneers had in their front seven last season. As a secondary option, Mack would be great, but cost is the big issue here.