Khalil Mack, left, and Joey Bosa weren’t together on the field enough last season. (Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
They both cited a desire to win as the No. 1 reason to remain with the Chargers, a team that just lost 12 of 17 games.
That’s how strongly Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa said they believe in the direction of a franchise being guided by coach Jim Harbaugh.
Mack talked about the promise that could be found in the close losses the Chargers experienced last year, explaining that “watching the game from the sidelines can be different than playing in the game.”
Bosa, a careerlong Charger entering his ninth season, said he always wanted to stay with the team, adding that “winning football games is more important to me right now than making some extra money.”
Because of the Chargers’ salary cap issues, both veteran edge rushers reworked their contracts in March — accepting pay cuts in exchange for future assurances — to return for a third season together.
Only Mack and Bosa haven’t played together much because of injuries that have limited Bosa to 14 games over the last two years. Now, the duo is gearing up for one more shot.
Asked if he believes the Chargers can rebound from their 5-12 finish and win immediately under Harbaugh, Mack hesitated briefly before answering in the affirmative.
“Well, I don’t want to put that out there, but, yeah,” he said. “We better. That’s all I want to do. I want to win ballgames and have fun plane rides home. That’s it.”
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Mack, 33 and entering his 11th season, is coming off one of his most productive years. He had a career-high 17 sacks and forced five fumbles, his second most in a season.
He laughed about fans on social media critiquing his 2023 performance by pointing out that six sacks came in one game, a Week 4 victory over Las Vegas.
“It was like, ‘Damn, is that a bad thing?’ ” Mack said, smiling. “Maybe I…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/khalil-mack-joey-bosa-believe-035512705.html
Author : LA Times
Publish date : 2024-06-13 03:55:12
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