Khalil Mack, Josh Sweat's Top NFL Landing Spots After Colts Trade DeForest Buckner to 49ers

Let the defensive linemen bidding wars begin.

The Indianapolis Colts kicked off the potential run of high-profile trades involving defensive linemen ahead of the Nov. 10 deadline on Tuesday by sending DeForest Buckner to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.

San Francisco landing one of the year's biggest trade pieces means other teams in need of defensive linemen will have to turn their attention elsewhere. 

Enter Khalil Mack or Josh Sweat, who could end up on the following teams:

• Chicago Bears
• Buffalo Bills
• Green Bay Packers

Mack being traded would be anything but a surprise. The Los Angeles Chargers are 0-6, and he is playing on the final year of his deal. If there is a chance he could end up elsewhere next season regardless, Los Angeles would be wise to get whatever it could in return via a trade.

There has already been plenty of speculation about his immediate future, and the Buckner trade only figures to increase the buzz.

As for Sweat, he is signed through 2028 but is on an Arizona Cardinals team that is still in rebuilding mode. Moving him for draft capital could accelerate that rebuilding process, especially since they may not be realistic Super Bowl contenders while he is under contract.

Sweat has also appeared in rumors leading up to the deadline.

The Bears, Bills and Packers all make sense as potential destinations for either player, as they are all contenders in the early going this season that need help along the defensive line.

There is familiarity in place with Mack for Chicago, as he played four seasons for the NFC North team. One of those seasons was 2018 when he finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Chicago has the offensive firepower to challenge for a Super Bowl title, but it needs to make strides on the defensive side to take that next step.

And trading for either Mack or Sweat would be an important step.

As for the Bills, they are an ugly 30th in the league in points allowed per game. They are still 5-1 thanks in large part to Josh Allen's individual brilliance, but the defense will eventually undercut their Lombardi Trophy pursuit without significant improvement.

Green Bay is in a position of need along the defensive line in large part because of injuries.

It lost Javon Hargrave for the season to a torn Achilles, while Micah Parsons is yet to play through the first seven games as he recovers from a torn ACL that cut his 2025 season short.

There is still not an exact timeline on Parsons' return, so Mack or Sweat could help make up for his absence in the meantime.

And then they could form quite a dynamic duo when Parsons does return.