Why the Chargers may be panicking as the start of free agency looms

The Los Angeles Chargers rode some good vibes into the offseason.

Brandon Staley, the head coach that made the correct analytical decisions all the wrong ways en route to a 24-24 record and an epic playoff collapse, was fired. In his place came reigning NCAA national champion Jim Harbaugh, a man who has known nothing but success at every coaching stop he’s made. With a young franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert and a roster laden with veteran talent, the Chargers could plan their turnaround.

Except, whoops, turns out the last regime paid that talent way too much and now some difficult decisions have to be made.

The #Chargers have four of the top 12 cap hits in the entire NFL. pic.twitter.com/kapmx9prLX

— Jason_OTC (@Jason_OTC) March 13, 2024

While the rest of the league has spent the opening stages of the offseason restructuring contracts and jettisoning highly paid veterans to slide under this year’s salary cap, the Chargers have largely laid in wait. Even a record $255.4 million spending limit couldn’t give them spending room; as of Wednesday morning, Los Angeles was an estimated $25 million over the cap per, uh Over the Cap. Massive contracts for veterans Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams make up more than half the team’s planned spending in 2024 — and that, incredibly, doesn’t even count quarterback Justin Herbert.

That leaves the Chargers in a conundrum. Changes have to be made. Savings have to be gleaned. But the easiest cuts (or trades) are also the hardest to make.

Mack is coming off a 17-sack campaign. Bosa is a four-time Pro Bowler and only 29 years old. Allen and Williams have been instrumental to Herbert’s growth as a quarterback. But those four guys and Derwin James are the only players the team can move to make a meaningful jump back toward cap compliance.

Los Angeles has until 4 p.m. ET Wednesday, the official start of free agency, to get there. General manager Joe Hortiz, faced with a mess in his first year on the job, will be working non-stop to gauge trade interest and turn this disaster into some kind of return the Chargers can spin into a positive.

Someone’s gotta go if the Chargers are going to slide under the 2024 NFL salary cap. Which means while the rest of the league is adding veteran talent and building their Super Bowl hopes, Los Angeles is stuck trying to figure out which impact player it’ll have to let go.