LA Chargers rumors: Why trading for Julio Jones is a no-brainer
By Jason Reed
2. The LA Chargers have the money to afford Julio Jones
This is one of the main reasons why the LA Chargers are on the short list of teams that could actually be willing to trade for Julio Jones this offseason. The Chargers have left themselves with plenty of cap space to make a move like this.
According to Over The Cap, the team trading for Jones would have to absord $15.3 million of his salary this season and $11.6 million over the next two years. As it stands right now, the Chargers have $20.4 million in cap space. They still need to sign Rashawn Slater and his deal will take up a fair portion, but it definitely is doable by moving some figures around.
The Chargers also have money over the next two years as well. Mike Williams is a free agent and his $15.6 million cap hit will be off the books. Chris Harris will be off the books, Linval Joseph off the books and there is even more cut potential to free up money.
Simply put: Jones’ contract would not hinder the LA Chargers in any way, especially at the figure it is at. This is possible because Justin Herbert is on his rookie deal and the Chargers do not have to pay top-tier quarterback money to him yet.
That is always cited as a competitive advantage and it would be a shame if the Chargers don’t take advantage of that situation and just let the $20 million in cap space sit there. There is literally no reason to operate in a season with that much cap space available.