The LA Chargers approached the edge with both Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack last offseason as they weaved through a tricky cap situation. While the team is in a much better spot from a cap standpoint this year, it seems as though the returns of Bosa and Mack are far from guaranteed.
Both players opted to take pay cuts last offseason to remain with the team. Bosa's salary specifically went from $22 million to $15 million guaranteed with the opportunity to earn some extra sack-related incentives.
Mack is an unrestricted free agent who will have a "robust market", per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Fowler also reported that the Chargers would very much like to bring him back. Given that he's not an unrestricted free agent like Mack is, Bosa's situation is more complicated. He is currently on the books for a $36.47 million cap hit in 2025, the largest figure amongst all EDGE players in the league.
ESPN's Dan Graziano wrote an article today about the 32 biggest salary cap questions for every NFL team. In his Chargers' section, he wrote that a cut is the "likely outcome" in the Joey Bosa situation. However, he also notes that this was what many around the league thought last year before Bosa eventually came to last years' pay cut agreement. Graziano's first section on Bosa:
The Chargers' EDGE room could look a lot different in 2025
"The people I talk to think that's the likely outcome, but they thought the same thing last year, and Bosa and the Chargers were able to get a deal done to keep him there," Graziano wrote. "He's scheduled to make $25.36 million this season, but nearly half of that comes in the form of a $12.36 million roster bonus due next month. So while none of his 2025 money is guaranteed, the Chargers would obviously want to decide by the time they have to pay that roster bonus."
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With a cut, the Chargers would save $25.36 million against the cap. That figure comes when you subtract the $36.47 million in salary from Bosa's $11.1 million dead cap figure if not on the roster.
However, Graziano also hedged his bets in the article when considering the impending free agent status of Mack. In the event Mack signals he wants to move on in free agency, Graziano the focus could shift to keeping Bosa as a "priority". There's also a possibility of course that the Chargers could approach the EDGE room and reset like they did with the wide receiver room last year given the departures of Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
While the league consensus seems to be that Bosa will be cut, there is a framework for his return if the Chargers are able to renegotiate his deal like they did last year. But will Bosa want to do that for the second straight offseason? How aggressive are the Chargers planning to be with the rest of their cap space?
In a deep defensive line draft, the Chargers could have their focus on April's NFL Draft if Bosa is to leave the team this offseason.