Projecting the 7 biggest contracts for LA Chargers free agents
By Jason Reed
Justin Jackson contract projection: Two years, $4.5 million ($2 million guaranteed)
At this point, the LA Chargers might as well re-sign Justin Jackson. There is some risk in making that move with his injury history but quite frankly, every running back has a decent chance of getting hurt. Jackson knows the offense and I would rather see the team bring him back than sign someone else for the same amount.
That being said, he is obviously not going to get much to be the team's RB2. The contract we compared Jackson to is Carlos Hyde, who also got a two-year, $4.5 million contract in free agency last offseason. The Chargers should guarantee $2 million of the deal, completely guaranteeing a $2 million salary this year with a $2.5 million salary next year that they can get out of in the offseason if needed.
Jackson is not going to get anything more than this in the open market so it all comes down to what he wants as a role. There very well could be a team out there that is paying Jackson the same amount to have a bigger role. If that is the case, the Chargers should let him walk and not get in any bidding war for him.
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The best-case scenario for the Chargers running back room in 2022 is to bring Jackson back and actually find a running back in the draft that can contribute. Joshua Kelly and Larry Rountree were both misses and with four compensatory picks, the Chargers can afford to take a third and cut one of the two other backs after training camp.