2 players the Chargers should cut for cap space (and 4 they won't)

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.

The Chargers won't cut Keenan Allen

Tom Telesco essentially said that the LA Chargers are not going to cut Keenan Allen this offseason yet it is still a popular topic among the fanbase. Some think Telesco is throwing a smoke screen or was simply not being genuine with his answer.

Cutting Keenan Allen would free up $14.8 million in cap space, which is the second-most among any potential cut candidate this offseason. With Allen being hurt most of 2022 and being over 30 years old, I understand why some fans are okay with the move.

That being said, you don't make your offense worse when you have a young quarterback like Justin Herbert. That is especially true when Allen is Herbert's favorite target and Herbert looks much more comfortable when Allen is on the field.

If a team offered a first-round pick for Allen like the Hollywood Brown trade from last year then maybe the Chargers consider saying yes and using that pick to draft a wide receiver. That is the only possible way that Allen will not be on the team in 2023 and even that feels like a stretch.

Allen's contract is a prime candidate to be restructured, but he certainly is not someone who is going to be cut this offseason.

The Chargers won't cut Khalil Mack.

This is one that I could potentially get on board with. If the Chargers did decide to cut Khalil Mack and draft a high-round edge prospect to replace him it would not be the worst idea in the world. After all, Mack has a massive cap hit and is only going to be a year older next season.

Mack has the second-largest cap hit at $27.4 million and if the Chargers cut him they would free up $18.4 million in cap space. That alone is almost enough to get the Chargers out of the negative as it pertains to the 2023 cap.

That being said, Mack is a Brandon Staley guy and there is no chance that he is going anywhere with Staley still in town. Plus, Tom Telesco is not the kind of general manager that can admit when someone is a sunk cost and potentially move on.

Instead, Telesco will look at the fact that the Chargers spent a second-round pick on Mack and are already slated to pay him at least $9 million next season anyway. With those two factors in mind, Telesco and Staley will both be against moving on from Mack.

Next spring it is a different conversation though. Mack will have a $27.75 million cap hit in 2024 with only $4.5 million in dead money if he is cut. He might not be a candidate this year, but Mack will almost definitely be cut ahead of 2024.

The Chargers won't cut Michael Davis

Before the season — heck, halfway through the season — Michael Davis looked like a lock to be cut by the LA Chargers this offseason. Davis took a big step back in Brandon Staley's first year as head coach and was obviously not a fit in this defense.

Davis fell all the way to CB4 on the depth chart with there being talks of the Chargers still drafting a cornerback in the first round because they were so low on him. The Chargers can free up $7.4 million in cap space with only $2 million in dead cap money if they cut him, which is why it was such a no-brainer.

However, Davis played so well in 2022 that it is impossible to justify cutting him this offseason. If Davis would have just been average the Chargers could have still talked themselves into it but he was the best member of the entire secondary in the second half of the season. The team cannot let that go.

Davis is a candidate to potentially get some kind of extension that stretches out hit cap hit in order to save some money this year but he definitely is not someone who is going to get cut in favor of cap space.

And that is solely because of how well he played for the Chargers after the bye week. If J.C. Jackson can return and play well, the Chargers are going to have a truly lethal trio at cornerback next season and Davis is a key part of it.

The Chargers won't cut Kenneth Murray

This is another name that has been thrown around a lot by Chargers fans as someone who the team can cut this offseason to free up salary-cap space. And to be completely clear, this is not meant to be a Kenneth Murray defense. While he did have some promising moments last season, he once again had an all-around bad season.

Since Murray had a bad season and likely won't get the fifth year on his contract picked up, some Chargers fans have assumed that the Bolts will just pull the plug now to free up the salary-cap space. While that sounds great on paper, it isn't realistic.

First of all, the Chargers do not have the inside linebacker depth to make this kind of move. Drue Tranquill is a free agent this offseason and there is not a reliable option behind Murray. Cutting Murray would force the Chargers to draft an early linebacker in 2023, which should not be done.

Second of all, cutting Murray does not even free up that much space. If the Chargers cut Murray they would free up $2.3 million in cap space. It is not worth the depth headache of cutting Murray to free up $2.3 million. At least with Hopkins, there is an instant replacement that makes sense. That is not the case for Murray.

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Even if the Chargers bring back Tranquill for cheap, cutting Murray does not seem like a realistic move for Tom Telesco to make. This is the same team that held on to Jerry Tillery until the very end and Murray has at least been better than Tillery.