Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Khalil Mack (52) brings down Indianapolis Colts quarterback Nick Foles (9) on Monday, Dec. 26, 2022, during a game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
The Los Angeles Chargers avoided the dreaded 0-3 start on Sunday but there are still a lot of questions about this team. In any normal year, there wouldn’t be much panic. Justin Herbert is the quarterback of the future. The team has plenty of years to build around him and make a Super Bowl run. However, this is no normal year. The Los Angeles Chargers salary cap is in bad shape and puts a huge amount of pressure on the 2023 season.
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Los Angeles Chargers Salary Cap
The team went all in with some big-name free agents a couple of years ago. JC Jackson was given a huge contract. The team traded for Khalil Mack and took on his massive deal. Currently, the team is projected to be somewhere in the realm of $70 million over the cap in the 2024 offseason. Here are the biggest hits to the salary cap in the upcoming offseason.
WR Mike Williams: $13.5 million to $32.4 million
WR Keenan Allen: $12.7 million to $34.7 million
DE Khalil Mack: $16.6 million to $38.5 million
DE Joey Bosa: $15.7 million to $36.6 million
These are just the biggest jumps. This does not include a $19.3 million for Herbert and a $19.3 million salary for JC Jackson. The issue lies not only in the numbers but the players who are commanding these salaries.
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Los Angeles Chargers Salary Cap: Overpaid And Underperforming
Mike Williams has been great when he has been on the field. However, a torn ACL has ended his season and his status with the team is in question. Allen is another quality receiver but paying a receiver that much money on the wrong side of 30 is not ideal. Mack only has eight sacks and two forced fumbles since coming to Los Angeles. He hasn’t posted a double-digit sack season since 2018. Bosa has shown so much promise but injuries and underperformance have been the narrative of his career. Then we get to JC Jackson who was a healthy scratch last week against Minnesota. These players make up a huge part of the Los Angeles Chargers salary cap but are not making up a huge part of the production on the field.
Guaranteed Money
While people smarter than me can manipulate the cap and figure things out, the Chargers have a massive amount of guaranteed money for these players. While cuts, restructures, and other shenanigans can happen to save money, every player has a dead cap hit. The aforementioned players have the following guaranteed numbers.
Williams: $40 million
Allen: $43 million
Mack: $90 million
Bosa: $102 million
Jackson: $40 million
This doesn’t include Herbert’s massive $218 million guaranteed over the life of his contract. It is easy to say that the Chargers should cut bait and look elsewhere but even if these players are not on the team, the will still be dead cap hits.
Pressure On 2023
The huge numbers and looming decisions put that much more pressure on 2023. This season is likely the last time this team looks like this. After 2023, the team will likely have to change gears and go into a soft rebuild to bring in young talent. It could be a couple of years before this team is back into contention in the AFC, especially with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs lurking in the division. Looking at the recent draft history, I can’t say I am confident in the drafting ability of this team.
The Los Angeles Chargers salary cap problems have put more pressure on the 2023 season and made the future cloudy for the team. They desperately do not want to waste the prime of Herbert but will have some tough decisions to make in the coming years.
