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The LA Chargers were faced with some tough decisions to make heading into the 2024 off-season. As of March 13th, the Bolts needed to free up roughly $20 million in cap space to become cap-compliant. The deadline to be under the salary cap was 4 PM Eastern on March 13th. The notable 4 players that were mentioned as potential candidates to be moved by then were: Keenan Allen (~$35 million cap charge), Khalil Mack (~$38 million cap charge), Joey Bosa (~$37 million cap charge), and Mike Williams (~$32 million cap charge). It was widely anticipated that the Chargers would need to move on from two of these four players to create the necessary cap space to handle the recent signings of Gus Edwards, Will Dissly, and Alohi Gilman. However, Chargers General Manager Joe Ortiz may have worked some magic.
The first and most obvious decision was moving on from 7-year veteran wide receiver, Mike Williams. The 29-year-old wideout suffered a torn ACL in week three against the Minnesota Vikings, thus starting a domino effect of injuries that derailed the Chargers season. Williams' career has been riddled with injuries, including a back issue that started his rookie year.
It is unfortunate that the duo of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen, both of whom made the Pro Bowl in 2021, only finished 9 total games as a pair since Justin Herbert began his career as a Charger. It is to be noted that the Chargers would like to bring Williams back in free agency but given the cap situation, they had to release him. Releasing Williams cleared up roughly $20 million in cap space and put the Chargers a hair under the number necessary to be cap-compliant. Williams was beloved by Chargers fans and racked up 4,806 yards and 31 touchdowns in his career. He is known for his elite ability to grab jump balls.
While the release of Mike Williams technically satisfied the NFL's need to become cap-compliant, the Bolts still needed to clear a little more room for the incoming contracts. Most expected them to move on from one of the three remaining players listed above. However, the Chargers and Khalil Mack agreed on terms to restructure his contract, creating cap space for 2024. This will keep Mack in the Powder Blue for 2024, according to Adam Schefter. The details of the restructuring are still to be determined. Mack, 33, is coming off of one of his best seasons as a pass rusher. Despite the loss of Joey Bosa early in the season, Mack logged 17 sacks in 2024 which placed him at 3rd in the NFL. Mack also forced 5 fumbles which was tied for 3rd most in the NFL. Although he is 33, he is still at the top of his game and will be a crucial part of the Chargers locker room for the new regime. Jim Harbaugh and Joe Ortiz hit a home run here finding a way to retain a core veteran while also creating more cap space.
The Chargers followed up Mack's restructuring by surprising their fans the next day with the Joey Bosa news. The Bolts and Joey Bosa agreed to restructure his contract which will keep Bosa in the powder blues for 2024. This move creates even more cap space for the upcoming season. As is the case with Mack's deal, the details of Bosa's restructure have yet to be announced. Jim Harbaugh and Joe Ortiz hinted that they were going to try to win in 2024 and this follows up on their word. Following the Mack restructure, most fans were sold that Bosa was going to be traded. Rumors were even swirling that Bosa was approached about a restructure already and denied the idea, thus leading to Khalil's restructure. This all proved to be false. Bosa and Mack both decided to be huge team players and chip in for the Chargers to be competitive in 2024. When healthy, this pass-rush duo is considered to be among the best in the NFL. Jim Harbaugh put the "reset" rumors to bed by securing his edge rush and keeping the majority of his key players intact for 2024 while also creating cap room to make more signings. Watch out for Los Angeles in 2024.
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