Despite the decreased output from the future Hall of Famer, both parties have remained in contact, and Los Angeles is hopeful that the two sides can come to terms. General manager Joe Hortiz believes that Mack may just want to explore free agency since he’s never had the chance in his career that spans over a decade.

“Khalil has never been a free agent in his life and so it might be something where Khalil wants to just say, ‘Hey, I was a free agent, I did it and I came back to L.A.,'” Hortiz said, via ESPN’s Kris Rhim. ”If it gets to that, that’s my hope.”

The Los Angeles Chargers’ split with Joey Bosa this offseason has seemed like a matter of time. Until Tuesday, anyway. Despite Bosa’s massive $36.4 million cap number and the $25 million in cap space his departure would create,