San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch has gone on record saying the Niners effectively have to prove it to him whether or not it's worth it to be active by the annual NFL trade deadline.
With a perfect 4-0 record a quarter of the way through the season, it's pretty clear San Francisco is doing just that.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the winless Los Angeles Chargers are heading nowhere fast amid a challenging AFC West, and the hope for any immediate turnaround keeps getting drowned out by reports of internal dysfunction and potential coaching changes.
Whatever the case may be, it certainly appears as if the Bolts will be trade-deadline sellers.
Perhaps Lynch and the 49ers can take advantage.
3 Chargers targets 49ers could go after at NFL trade deadline
DE Khalil Mack
Arguably the biggest name L.A. would aim to move, should it fully embrace a fire sale, would be veteran edge rusher Khalil Mack.
The 35-year-old nine-time Pro Bowler is nowhere near the A-list defender he was earlier in his career, but as a complementary edge rusher who already has three sacks over four weeks this season, he'd be a quality component for coordinator Raheem Morris' defense. Even upon defensive end Nick Bosa's return from injury, having someone with name recognition like Mack would give the Niners pass rush some much-needed thump.
Plus, at this stage of his career, Mack would readily embrace the chance to compete for a Super Bowl while deepening San Francisco's crop of outside pass-rushers—a major need, given injuries to the defensive line.
DT Tuli Tuipulotu
Defensive tackle Tuli Tuipulotu won't grab headlines as much as Mack, but as TheSFNiners' Brad Graham pointed out, the 6-foot-3 and 266-pound lineman would be a seamless fit for Morris' scheme.
With two sacks of his own this season, Tuipulotu is a quarterback-hitting machine, notching eight of those already after his Pro Bowl 2025 campaign saw 23 such hits, plus an impressive 13 sacks.
At 24 years old, Tuipulotu is significantly younger than Mack, which would give the 49ers the option to decide whether or not he'd be worth a long-term investment instead of a stopgap veteran rental.
San Francisco might have to dish up a bigger trade package for Tuipulotu than it would for Mack, but the ceiling would certainly be much higher.
CB Donte Jackson
Cornerback isn't quite as pressing a need as the defensive line, but the 49ers could nevertheless look to improve it—a fact evidenced by the relative thinness behind Deommodore Lenoir, Renardo Green and Upton Stout when the latter exited Week 4's win over the Denver Broncos, leading to reserve corner Jack Jones giving up a touchdown almost immediately.
Donte Jackson might be Los Angeles' best corner through four weeks, having yet to surrender a touchdown and holding opposing quarterbacks to an 85.4 over that span.
It probably wouldn't take much for the 49ers to pry Jackson away, possibly a late day-three draft pick, and he'd immediately be in contention with Green to start.
Or, at the very least, a starting-level reserve who can beef up the Niners secondary without issue.
Add us as a preferred source on Google