Khalil Mack 'couldn't give up on that dream' of winning with the Chargers

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AP) — Khalil Mack mulled retirement early in the offseason. It didn’t take long for him to decide to return to the Los Angeles Chargers.

He agreed on a contract extension in March, never becoming an unrestricted free agent.

“Got tremendous leadership here, very familiar with guys already here,” he said Wednesday at minicamp. “It was a no-brainer.”

Mack, who turned 34 in February, is in his 12th season in the league and fourth with the Chargers. Despite nine Pro Bowl selections and a Defensive Player of the Year honor, he has never won a playoff game in five appearances.

“You’re chasing that feeling of wanting to win,” Mack said. “I couldn’t give up on that dream and that goal for myself and the franchise.”

Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter said having Mack return “means everything.”

“Khalil is one of the best ever to do it,” he said.

Mack was at the Chargers facility to train in February and March, setting a tone for his teammates.

“The impact that he had on other people to train at his level is pretty incredible,” Minter said. “For young guys to have him around, it just makes everybody better.”

Around the same time Mack re-signed, the Chargers released defensive end Joey Bosa. He later signed with the Buffalo Bills.

“I texted him the other day saying it was weird not having him in the room breaking the silence with his little awkward jokes,” Mack said.

Second-year cornerback Tarheeb Still influenced Mack's decision to stay.

“Just the mindset he has. His is the same approach and mindset when I train,” Mack said. “I want to be a machine, move people easy.”

Will this be Mack's final season?

“I’m trying not to speak too fast or too far in the future,” he said. “My wife says, ‘You keep saying you're going to retire. Why you keep doing that?'”

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