As the Los Angeles Chargers didn't make the noise some thought they might during these first two-plus weeks of free agency, they still have an ample amount of salary cap space at their disposal.
Specifically, at the time of this writing, Over The Cap has the Bolts with $48,679,074 in available space, with that figure dropping to $44,374,099 once the projections for the Chargers' selections in next month's draft are taken into account. Either way you look at it, though, Los Angeles still has plenty of cash to spend.
As such, the Bolts find themselves in a position to trade for a high-profile player if they so choose. High-profile is just a substitute phrase for expensive, by the way, but you likely already knew that. And one such player that could potentially be in play is Minnesota Vikings edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who NFL Trade Rumors' Ethan Woodie believes would be a solid fit in LaLa Land after the Chargers failed to bring back Odafe Oweh.
Jonathan Greenard might be wanting more money than the Chargers are willing to pay
For full disclosure, Woodie named the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles, New England Patriots, and Chicago Bears as potential trade partners, but he did say that the Chargers are the best option.
"Personally, this would be my favorite fit for Greenard. After trading for Odafe Oweh from the Ravens at the deadline last season, the Chargers declined to match his ballooning market in free agency, instead watching him sign with the Commanders. Los Angeles did manage to bring back Khalil Mack on a one-year deal, but they need more.
"Behind Mack and Tuli Tuipulotu, the Chargers are very thin at the edge defender position. They need to add depth there, if nothing else, and a premier pass rusher is what this defense is missing. Los Angeles still has the third-most cap space in the league and could easily absorb Greenard's contract."
Woodie went on to say that the biggest hiccup in a potential trade would be the Chargers' lack of draft picks. And that is a problem, as Los Angeles currently owns only five selections, with one each in the first four rounds and then a sixth-rounder.
And while that could present a problem, the bigger hiccup may be the money. Yes, as mentioned, the Chargers can afford to trade for Greenard, who still has two years remaining on his contract and has cap numbers of $22.15 million and $22.3 million, respectively.
Now, the Chargers didn't want to pay Oweh, who's getting $25 million per year from Washington. So, it stands to reason that they might not want to pay Greenard, especially seeing as how the reason he wants out of Minnesota in the first place is that he wants a new contract for more money.
That said, however, if they can just get him to play out this existing contract and then make a decision two years from now, it might be worth it. Sure, he had a bit of a down year in 2025, but he also missed significant time with a shoulder injury. When healthy, though, Greenard is a dominant force and isn't far removed from his 2024 Pro Bowl season in which he racked up a dozen sacks for the Vikings. And that was after tallying 12.5 the year before in his final season with the Houston Texans.
As was proven last year, the Chargers' defense thrives with a strong trio of edge rushers, and the threesome of Tuipulotu, Mack, and Greenard does sound enticing.