​USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectWith the November 10 NFL trade deadline approaching, several teams face an uncomfortable decision: keep pretending they can contend or start turning valuable veterans into assets for the future.The NFL trade deadline is approaching, and it’s time for some uncomfortable conversations.Every struggling team wants to believe its season can be saved. Coaches talk about getting healthy, correcting mistakes and taking things one game at a time. General managers insist they still believe in their rosters.Sometimes that optimism is justified.Other times, it’s little more than an expensive exercise in denial.With the November 10 trade deadline approaching, several NFL franchises face decisions that could shape their futures well beyond the 2026 season. They can continue chasing increasingly improbable playoff dreams, or they can acknowledge reality and turn valuable veterans into draft capital.The NFL standings already reveal some glaring problems. The Los Angeles Chargers are winless, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost four straight, and the Los Angeles Rams are falling dangerously behind in the NFC West.But being a seller doesn’t necessarily mean dismantling an entire roster. It means recognizing which players are part of the future, which veterans have more value to contenders and when the cost of chasing one more victory outweighs the potential long-term reward.Here are five NFL teams that should stop pretending everything is fine and start making some difficult decisions.1. Los Angeles Chargers (0-6): The Season Is Over, So Start Planning for 2027Potential trade candidates: Khalil Mack and other veterans on expiring contractsThere is no way to sugarcoat what has happened to the Chargers.A franchise that entered the season with legitimate postseason expectations has lost its first six games. Even worse, Los Angeles is already buried in an AFC West dominated by the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs.At 0-6, the Chargers would need a remarkable turnaround merely to enter the playoff conversation.And for what?Even if Los Angeles somehow salvages a respectable record, this season has already exposed problems that won’t disappear with a few late-season victories.The Chargers need to stop thinking about saving 2026 and start thinking about maximizing Justin Herbert’s championship window.That begins with Khalil Mack.The veteran pass rusher remains capable of helping a contender, but at 35, he is hardly a long-term building block. With his contract approaching expiration, Los Angeles should be aggressively exploring his trade value.A reunion with the Chicago Bears would be particularly intriguing, although several contenders could use another proven edge rusher.The Chargers should also examine the market for other veterans who don’t figure prominently in their plans beyond this season.The verdict: Trading Mack wouldn’t mean giving up on Herbert. It would mean giving Herbert a better chance to win when the Chargers a