3 roster moves that would instantly save the LA Chargers $32 million

3. The LA Chargers cut Casey Hayward

Casey Hayward is an LA Chargers legend but he simply is not himself any longer. We see it all the time in the NFL but cornerbacks can age so quickly and that happened to Hayward in 2021. Not only was Hayward poor as a CB1, but he would not have even been that good as a CB2 in this defense.

Hayward is entering the last year of his contract and I would not be shocked if the team simply cut ties with him now to save money. In the long-term, the Chargers are better off re-signing Michael Davis and developing a young corner from the draft.

Now, there is another alternative here that is worth mentioning. The Chargers could cut Chris Harris and save a similar amount of salary-cap space. With Hayward being the established member of the secondary, I would not be totally shocked if that is what they do.

Personally, I value Harris more because he was better last season, is more versatile in where he can line up on the field and does not offer as much relief as Hayward. If Hayward is cut the Chargers would save $9.75 million. If Harris is cut that number is $7.5 million.

You could even make the case for the team to cut both of them to save even more money but I doubt that would happen. That would really be stripping the depth of the position.

Total saved: $32.65 million

Total saved if the LA Chargers also cut Chris Harris: $40.15 million

Let me know in the comments down below if you would rather cut Hayward, Harris, both, or neither!