Why the LA Chargers won’t sign any new free agents in 2021
By Jason Reed
1. The LA Chargers have too many internal free agents to handle with the salary cap
Ah, so this is the free-agency activity that the team is going to have. The LA Chargers’ main priority in the offseason is going to be to retain the talent on the roster, as well as the 2021 NFL Draft (we will get to why that is the case in the next slide).
On the surface, it appears that the LA Chargers are in a great position to spend in the offseason. According to Over The Cap, the Chargers have the seventh-most cap space in the league heading into the 2021 offseason.
The problem is that there are only 34 players that are signed with that cap space, fewer than any other team ahead of them.
It is not like the Chargers have minor free agents that have to be re-signed, either. Hunter Henry is a free agent and is likely going to be re-signed for a fair amount, the team has to make a decision on Melvin Ingram and whether he is worth it and there are several other key contributors that the team has to keep around.
Michael Davis has been one of the few positives this season at the cornerback position, Rayshawn Jenkins, although bad against the Las Vegas Raiders, has been really solid this season, Denzel Perryman has been much improved and the team has to determine which offensive lineman they want to keep around for depth.
Sam Tevi, Forrest Lamp, Dan Feeney and Ryan Groy are all free agents.
That cap space is going to dwindle quickly, actually putting the team in a bit of a cap-bind. They have the possibility of cutting the likes of Casey Hayward, Chris Harris, Trai Turner, or even Mike Williams to free up some more space if needed.
So that is the situation that the team is in. What about recent history?