The LA Chargers entered the 2024 offseason well over the salary cap needing to make bold moves. New GM Joe Hortiz certainly made bold moves in his first offseason with the team, cutting ties with both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams to create an abundance of cap space.
There are still some bloated contracts on the roster which are a byproduct of the previous regime. The likes of Derwin James, Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack and Justin Herbert all have massive salaries for the 2024 season. But then again, all of these contracts made sense at the time and continue to make sense today (even if fans are growing sour on Bosa).
The Chargers are able to carry several of these bloated contracts because they are getting great deals elsewhere.
3 Chargers players who are grossly underpaid in 2024:
1. Alohi Gilman ($5.625 earned in 2024)
Alohi Gilman signed a new deal with the Chargers this offseason and it is clear that he gave the team a hometown discount. If Gilman didn't give the Chargers a discount, and this was his market value, the rest of the league is sleeping on how much he is worth.
Gilman signed a two-year, $10.125 million contract with the Chargers in the offseason. This deal gives Gilman a cap hit of just $3.375 million, per Over The Cap, although he earned more than $5.6 million because of bonuses on his deal.
Perhaps the worst part of Gilman's deal (from an underpaid standpoint) is the fact that only $5.625 million was guaranteed. Even though Gilman is on the books next season the Chargers do not have to pay him a dime next season. The team can cut him before next season and only carry a $2.25 million dead cap hit (which is prorated from his signing bonus that he was already paid).