After spending big last offseason, the LA Chargers are entering this offseason needing to make some room under the cap. According to Over The Cap, the Chargers are currently $19.9 million over the projected cap for 2023.
That figure is not set in stone, though. With the nature of non-guaranteed contracts, the Chargers can cut certain players in order to make space. Not only that, but the Chargers could also restructure deals in order to make room. According to OTC, the Chargers have $60.1 million in simple restructuring potential.
Fans are already discussing who the Chargers could end up cutting to free up cap space this offseason. As it stands right now, there are quite a few big contracts that could create a surplus in cap space for the Bolts next season.
But when the dust settles, there are ultimately only two players actually worth cutting if you are Tom Telesco. Cutting all of the team's good players just to create cap space is not a great way of building a Super Bowl contender.
Matt Feiler and Dustin Hopkins should be guaranteed cuts for the Chargers.
Matt Feiler was fine last season but it has become clear that left guard is Jamaree Salyer's job next season. The Chargers can free up $6.5 million in cap space by cutting Feiler, making this a no-brainer for the front office.
Hopkins doesn't save as much money but with the emergence of Cameron Dicker, it is smart for the Chargers to learn into the younger (and cheaper) option moving forward. Cutting Hopkins would free up $1.485 million in cap space.
That is not enough to get under the cap and with that in mind, it might seem like there should be more cut candidates for the Bolts. There are four players in particular that could create some cap space but for one reason or another, will stick around in LA for the 2023 season.
Let's dive into those four players, explaining why each of them are ultimately safe from being cut.