There's no debating that Justin Herbert is the MVP of the Chargers.
That fact was cemented last autumn when the Bolts franchise quarterback missed the final four games of the season, all games where the Chargers couldn't come away with a win.
But if we were to remove Herbert from the conversation, who would get the nod as the Chargers non-quarterback MVP?
Daniel Popper of The Athletic recently tabbed Khalil Mack as his choice after the veteran outside linebacker made his eighth Pro Bowl in 2023.
Popper wrote:
Mack is coming off, perhaps, the best season of his career. Beyond the career-high 17 sacks, he was a dominant force in the run game. If last year was any indication, Mack has plenty left to give as he enters his age-33 season. He is highly motivated to claim the one NFL achievement that has evaded him: a Super Bowl.
His 2023 tape was awe-inspiring in both the superhuman flashes and the consistency of performance. He was the team's MVP in 2023, quarterback included. And while he might not match his counting-stat production from last season, I think he will impact that game similarly, especially if Joey Bosa stays healthy.
Mack was a bright spot in 2023 by tying the Bolts single-season sack record while also turning it up a notch on key downs.
According to Pro Football Focus, Mack tied for the league lead with 41 pressures on third and fourth downs alongside Micah Parsons.
Mack, who restructured his contract this offseason, also surpassed the 100.0-sack mark against the Broncos in Week 17.
But as Popper alluded to above, Mack spoke this offseason about how individual accolades don't mean much to him at this stage of his career.
"Ultimately, getting to that 100, it's special in the grand scheme of things when you understand everybody is not fortunate enough to play 10 years in this league and had great teammates like I have had and been able to do and accomplish some of the things that I have," Mack said in June. "Ultimately, it's one of those things like, I want to win. I want to win.
"Yeah, you can celebrate certain things a little bit, but I feel like a Super Bowl would feel a lot better than that," Mack added.
