LA Chargers: 4 biggest takeaways from the first wave of free agency

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports – LA Chargers

4. The LA Chargers are not ‘cheap’ anymore

Say what you will about what the team did in San Diego. I get it. They did not spend for players in the past and the way the team left the city left a sour taste in most fans’ mouths. Dean Spanos did not want to finance a stadium and instead decided to lease SoFi Stadium and play in a soccer stadium in the meantime.

That is a bad look, I get it, but with this move to the much bigger Los Angeles market the Chargers’ value has skyrocketed. As a result, the team has been more aggressive in spending money and taking care of their players.

The days of the Chargers being ‘cheap’ are over. Those still complaining about the team being cheap are not seeing the whole picture.

The Chargers are willing to spend. Heck, they were one of the last two teams in on Tom Brady last offseason and Brady going to Tampa Bay was merely a preference in choice. They gave Joey Bosa the most guaranteed money for a defensive player… ever, they made Keenan Allen one of the highest-paid receivers in the league and they just made Corey Linsley the highest-paid center of all-time. 

But they are cheap? How?

Heck, even when the team could have been cheap they weren’t. The Chargers did not have to fully guarantee Melvin Ingram’s contract last season but because of what Ingram has done for the team and his leadership they did. A cheap football team does not do that.

Those that say the Chargers aren’t spending enough aren’t considering the success of teams that typically do spend the most. Last offseason, the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns spent the most money in free agency last offseason. One of those teams made the playoffs as the seventh seed.

Some may look at the Super Bowl Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers as a prime example of a spending team that won it all. The Bucs spent a grand total of $1.7 million more than the Chargers in free agency last year.

It is not about spending the most it is about making savvy signings and making the most of the money. If all goes as planned, the Chargers have done that this offseason and if we count Bosa and Allen’s extensions, which go into effect in 2021, the Chargers have agreed to $331 million in new contracts that did not exist last season.

The team has committed to a third of a billion dollars in new contracts. How is that cheap? They are not going to sign every big-name free agent and nor should they.