The LA Chargers were strapped for cash last offseason and had to make several tough decisions with a new regime in place. Wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were shown the door while Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa had to take pay cuts as part of contract restructures.
This offseason is different for the Chargers. Los Angeles is near the top of the list in projected cap space with only the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, Washington Commanders and Arizona Cardinals having more.
This is important for a Chargers team that wants to re-sign Khalil Mack and potentially sign a franchise right guard in Trey Smith. The Chargers have the resources to make a flurry of moves that can build off the foundation the team established in 2024.
Now the Chargers (and the rest of the league) have even more resources to spend this offseason. The NFL informed teams on Wednesday that the 2025 salary cap will fall between $277.5 and $281.5 million. This is higher than initially expected, with Over The Cap changing their salary-cap estimates by $7 million for each team.
Chargers have even more cap space to spend in 2025
The Chargers went from having $63.4 million in projected salary-cap space to $70.4 million in space. if the number falls in the upper range, the Chargers would end up with $72.4 million in total cap space.
Granted, every team in the league is seeing the same bump but it is disproportionate to teams that already have cap space. A team like the New Orleans Saints doesn't suddenly have an influx of cap space to spend — they are simply in less of a rut.
The Chargers can also create another $54 million in cap space with four simple moves this offseason. That would bring the Chargers up to $126.4 million in cap space without jeopardizing the future in any way.
Pro Football Focus projects Trey Smith to receive $20.5 million per year and Khalil Mack to receive $22.5 million a year. If the combined cap hit for both players in 2025 is $40 million then the Chargers will still have another $86.4 million to spend.
Let's say Davante Adams is cut by the Jets and signed with the Chargers on a cheaper deal that also puts him at a $20 million cap hit. The Chargers would still have $66.4 million in cap space to use after adding Smith, Mack and Adams.
That alone highlights just how busy this offseason may be for the Chargers.
Best of all, the Chargers currently do not have much on the books in the immediate future. Signing new contracts will obviously change that some, but with the cap continuing to climb the Chargers could make several big signings this offseason and still have ample cap space to use next offseason.
If the Chargers were able to make it work and make the playoffs with limited resources last offseason just imagine what the team is going to be able to do with an influx of resources this offseason.