Jacksonville Jaguars land All-Pro edge rusher Khalil Mack: 3 trade proposals

1. The Jaguars could offer Luke Fortner and a second-round pick for Khalil Mack

Besides Chad Muma, there's another Jaguars player the Chargers could be interested in: Center Luke Fortner. Veteran Corey Linsey, a First-Team All-Pro designation in 2020, is 99 percent likely to retire due to a heart condition but even if he wanted to return to Los Angeles, he may not fit into their budget next year. He's set to count $14.1 million against the cap but they could get $8.9 million in space if he's not on the roster next season.

That said, replacing Linsey won't be an easy task. A fifth-round pick in 2014, he spent the first seven years of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers before joining the Chargers in 2021. Although he made a combined 30 starts in his first two seasons with the Bolts, the aforementioned heart condition limited him to just three games in 2023.

When you consider that the Chargers will have cap constraints and other needs to address, they may not be able to find Lindsay's replacement in free agency or early in the draft. That's where Luke Fortner would come in handy.

The former Kentucky Wildcat showed promise in his rookie campaign but regressed last year. More often than not, he was the reason Jacksonville couldn't adequately protect Trevor Lawrence or run the football.

General manager Trent Baalke says Fortner has the tools to play well at the NFL level but the truth is that he left much to be desired last year. Then again, the third-year center could benefit from a change of scenery and he could get it under Jim Harbaugh, who's always put a premium at the line of scrimmage.

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