Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports – LA Chargers
Every single offseason the LA Chargers have the task of determining who the team wants to bring back with a new contract and who the team can afford to let go. We saw this in action with some bigger names this past offseason with Hunter Henry and Rashawn Jenkins being the notable departures and Michael Davis being the notable re-signed player.
Luckily, the LA Chargers locked up their stars in Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen a year before they were set to be free agents, so that was never a discussion this offseason. Still, there were some decisions that had to be made.
Next offseason is not as bad. While the Chargers have upcoming free agents, they do not have a huge name like Hunter Henry. The veterans, such as Chris Harris and Linval Joseph, likely won’t be re-signed, and if they are, it will be one-year deals for cheap.
It is the younger upcoming free agents to look at as those are the players who are playing for their next contract and could ball out in 2021 because of it. Look at Rashawn Jenkins. He was not a star by any means, but last season absolutely was his best season as he was in a contract year.
There are several LA Chargers players who will play with that same juice in 2021.
This season will determine how much certain players make not just next season but in the immediate seasons thereafter. Let’s get into the LA Chargers players who are playing for their next contract in 2021.
1. Uchenna Nwosu
Uchenna Nwosu is a free agent after the 2021 season and he isn’t just playing for a new contract this season, he is doing so while getting a much bigger role than he has had thus far in his career.
To this point, Nwosu has been a rotational pass rusher that has shown flashes here and there but has not locked down a long-term starting spot. With the team transitioning to a 3-4 defense (which fits Nwosu’s profile more) and Melvin Ingram leaving town, the former USC Trojan is going to have a lot on his plate and a chance to prove his worth.
Nwosu very well may benefit from Brandon Staley taking over as the head coach as he will put him in positions to succeed and like every outside edge rusher that Staley has worked with in the past, Nwosu may play the best football of his career in 2021.
That is not a guarantee, though, and I fall on the not-so-popular side of Charger fans that wants to see Nwosu prove it before I fully buy into the hype. I get that he has potential and he absolutely does have what it takes to be successful, but I have to see it in a full-time capacity first.
Nwosu has not played more than 37% of the defensive snaps in a season in his career. Jumping up to 80%+ is a big deal and he is going to have to prove that he can handle that jump in 2021 if he wants starter money moving forward.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports – LA Chargers
2. Derwin James
Derwin James is not going to be a free agent after the 2021 season as the LA Chargers picked up the fifth-year option on his contract for being a first-round pick. While James is guaranteed to play another season with the Bolts, his 2021 season may be the most important to getting him paid in the future.
James was elite in his rookie season and was already one of the top five safeties in the entire league. However, he has not been able to stay healthy after that, missing 11 games in 2019 and the entire season in 2020.
James at his best is going to get a massive deal from someone. However, at some point, the injuries simply become too much to bear and he would become a flier for a team. Look at Jason Verrett. His ceiling was not quite was James’ is, but he still would have been paid a pretty penny if he could stay healthy.
As we saw with Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen, Tom Telesco is interested in locking up his stars a year before they hit the open market. If James can put together a full 17-game season and show no lingering signs of injury then that may be enough to convince Telesco to pay him a year in advance to keep him in LA.
And if James gets that offer it would be staggering to see him say no. With Derwin James’ injury history, you don’t turn down a big, mostly guaranteed contract hoping to maybe get more.
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports – LA Chargers
3. Mike Williams
Mike Williams is the biggest name that is playing for his next contract in 2021. Williams is getting paid a pretty penny this season as he is playing on his fifth-year option as a first-round pick and he is undoubtedly looking to make his $15 million salary a mainstay for the next few years.
If Williams does get that type of money then it likely would not be from the LA Chargers. It would be surprising to see the team pay Williams $60 million over four years when they just scoffed at paying Hunter Henry $37.5 million over three years.
Personally, I do not value Williams as a true WR1 in this league and I would not be surprised if his 2019 season ends up being the peak level of his production in this league. He could hit it again, but I do not see him going much higher than what he did.
Williams is in between a WR1 and WR2. He is not good enough to be a bonafide WR1 like Keenan Allen but he is, at his best, overqualified to be a WR2. He is right in that sweet spot and if he can have a good 2021 season then he very well could be paid like a WR1.
The franchise tag is always an option if the Chargers don’t like how Josh Palmer is progressing and think they need one more season of Williams. Regardless, it would be shocking to see that new contract come from Tom Telesco.
4. Oday Aboushi
When it comes to increasing value from his current deal, Oday Aboushi could be the biggest winner on the LA Chargers in 2021. The Chargers brought him over on a relatively small deal, one year for $1.6 million, and he could increase his value quite a bit with a solid season in LA.
Nwosu is making less than Aboushi is in 2021 but his value is arguably higher. If Nwosu were to hit the free-agent market this offseason then he probably would have gotten more than $1.6 million. Nwosu is simply still playing on his rookie contract.
Aboushi showed some really promising signs in the games that he did play for the Detroit Lions last season. It was only half a season of a sample size but there definitely is potential there for Aboushi to be an average-at-worst guard in the league.
Of course, that is not guaranteed and there is a reason why he has bounced around the league and did not get a big deal in free agency. The Chargers like what they see, are taking a chance on Aboushi and both sides could benefit greatly.
This truly is a perfect situation for Aboushi as he is going to get every chance to prove himself to be starting-caliber. That is much better for his future than simply being a depth option.
If Aboushi plays to his potential then we could see him getting a contract that has an extra zero on the backend of it, which is huge.