With the new year close the Los Angeles Chargers face big decisions on their big four free agents.
With defensive players Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa, and wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams all free agents this offseason the Chargers likely can not afford to sign all four, and don’t want to lose them for nothing.
GM Joe Hortiz is still hoping to get something worked out, because if he can then the Chargers under new head coach Jim Harbaugh will be competing for the playoffs immediately. But with LA roughly $25-million over the cap how can it possibly happen?
“In terms of the cap, I’m confident we can get there because you have to get there,” Hortiz said. “I have no choice but to get under the cap, so I can promise you that we’re going to do that.”
Chargers desperately trying to find solutions
“We’re still working through it,” Hortiz said. “Obviously, the salary cap got bumped up a little bit higher than I think everyone was expecting — a little bit more. It gives us, certainly, some flexibility a little bit. We’ll continue to talk through that over the next couple of weeks and have a plan of attack shortly.”
“You can look at a player’s age,” Hortiz said. “… You’re always looking at it, but you also have to look at the production that they’ve had and that you expect them to continue to have. I think those are the things that you have to weigh.”
It’s hard to believe he Chargers could keep everyone happy, and of these big-4 it’s likely Mack would be the easiest to see leave given his age, and lack of long-term ties to the team. But even signing three of these players would see impossible.
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