The LA Chargers underwent a lot of change last offseason that saw many notable names leave Los Angeles. Some of those players have thrived on their new teams, while others have struggled to capture any success.
With the 2024 season coming to an end, the teams for these respective former Chargers will likely do some self reflection and realize that they did not get the bang for their buck they were looking for. As a result, these former Chargers might be finding yet another new team in 2025.
These former Chargers robbed their new teams blind in 2024:
Gerald Everett, Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears brought in several former Chargers this offseason but none has been more disappointing than Gerald Everett. The promising pass-catching tight end has been relegated to being a back-end roster player who hardly even sees playing time on the field.
Everett has a whopping eight catches for 36 yards with no touchdowns this season for the Bears. The former second-round pick went from averaging 31 receiving yards per game with the Chargers to averaging 2.3 yards per game in Chicago. Everett has finished with zero catches in his 16 games played.
That is what makes this even worse for the Bears. Chicago signed Everett to a two-year, $12 million contract only for him to do nothing despite being active for every single game. His snap count has taken a huge dip to 242 (compared to 572 in 15 games last year) but he still could have produced far more than he has.
With an out in his contract after this season it is safe to say that Everett's Bears tenure will end before it really got started.
Kenneth Murray
Kenneth Murray struggled mightily in his four years with the Chargers to go down as one of the worst first-round picks of the Tom Telesco era. Murray wasn't just a first-round dud, though, he was a first-round dud who the Chargers traded up to take.
Despite his struggles, the Tennessee Titans still decided it was a good idea to sign him to a two-year, $15.5 million contract. It was a massive surprise at the time for Chargers fans and the Titans have definitely regret it since.
Murray's struggles did not stop in Nashville as he was the same player for the Titans as he was for the Chargers. The former Oklahoma Sooner is now on the IR, and may be cut for salary-cap reasons this offseason.
In classic Murray fashion, he had to burn the Chargers one last time. By being on the IR and missing time down the stretch, the Chargers went from likely getting a fifth-round compensatory pick for his departure to likely getting a sixth-round pick.
Brandon Staley
The Chargers have undergone a renaissance without Brandon Staley. Not only has the team been much better under Jim Harbaugh, but individual players such as Derwin James have seen massive improvement after Staley's departure.
Staley took a job as an assistant head coach for the San Francisco 49ers to help with the team's defensive operations. While he does not have a largely impactful role, it is ironic to see how the 49ers have dipped defensively while the Chargers have improved.
The 49ers went from having the third-best scoring defense last season to ranking 22nd in points allowed. Los Angeles went from the 24th-ranked defense last season to the best scoing defense in 2024.
Safe to say Staley has not had the kind of positive defensive impact the 49ers were hoping for.