An NFL roster is a always-turning revolving door that sees players come and go more than any other professional sport in America. A roster can completely change over the course of 2-3 seasons and unfortunately, that means having to say goodbye to some fan favorites. Chargers fans know the feeling.
While the Bolts were able to keep most of the roster intact this offseason for another run at the Super Bowl in 2023, it is going to be much harder to do that in 2024. The Chargers are currently $60 million over the projected cap for the 2024 season, which will force some changes.
A lot of players will naturally leave the Chargers after the 2023 season. Let's dive into the notable players who are 100% going to leave.
Chargers who are definitely entering their last season in LA:
Mike Williams
Mike Williams has been an important part of the Chargers' offense for several years. This team is at its best when Williams is healthy and can provide his elite contested-catch ability. When Williams is not out there, Justin Herbert tends to settle more and not take as many chances downfield.
While Williams has been incredibly important, it is unrealistic for the Chargers to keep him next season. His contract was already geared towards potentially cutting him as a cap casualty next offseason and restructuring his deal this spring only confirmed that it will happen.
Williams has a cap hit of $32.46 million next season and the Bolts can save $20 million by cutting him. Unfortunately, it becomes the logical thing for the team to do.
Some fans would push back and say Keenan Allen is a more likely cut candidate as he has a $34.7 million cap hit and can save $23.1 million against the cap. Quite frankly, there is a chance that both receivers get cut to free up the salary-cap space next season. However, Allen is far more likely to return on a team-friendly deal because of the stage of his career that he is in. Williams can still command a big contract in free agency, hence why it is more likely that this is his last season in LA.