Rash of last-minute deals, like Khalil Mack’s, proves that tampering has happened

As of last Monday, the word on veteran pass rusher Khalil Mack was that he planned to explore all options in free agency. On Saturday, he agreed to terms on a one-year deal to stay with the Chargers.

So what happened to exploring free agency? Since the negotiating window doesn’t open until noon ET on Monday, how could he have explored all options?

The obvious answer is tampering. Everyone does it, and it’s getting more and more rampant.

By the weekend before the official opening of free agency, the players know what’s behind Door No. 1, Door No. 2, and Door No. Whatever. They can make an informed decision about whether to stay where they are.

In a situation like this, tampering helped the Chargers get a deal done. Mack was able to explore his options and then decide to accept his current team’s best offer.

It also helped the Chargers avoid having to find a replacement in free agency. Their one-year, $18 million offer to Mack surely was made after they explored who else would be available, and what their agents were looking for.

But that’s why so many players have been re-signing with their current teams so close to free agency. They didn’t get cold feet about testing the market. The tests were already conducted before the offers from their current teams were accepted.