2. DeAndre Carter
DeAndre Carter signed a one-year deal with the Las Vegas Raiders and that part of him leaving really stings. The Raiders have this habit of always going after the Chargers' leftovers and sometimes it actually pans out for them, such as Denzel Perryman and Casey Hayward Jr. having good tenures with the team.
Chargers fans are hoping that Carter falls more on the Jerry Tillery side of the fence and does not work out in the same way for the Raiders. While it won't change the fact that the Bolts were right to move on, it will make it more painful if Carter does have a big game against Ryan Ficken's special teams in 2023.
Carter had a solid season for the Chargers and certainly was up to the task. His kick-return game was not the best but he was a solid punt returner who also had a much bigger role in the offense than anticipated. Sure, he was not perfect, but he deserves credit for stepping up as the WR5 who became the WR2 for parts of the season.
But at the end of the day, moving in a younger direction was ultimately the way to go. The Chargers drafted one of the most exciting returners in all of college football, Derius Davis, who has more potential as an offensive weapon than Carter does.
It might not come right away for Davis as he probably won't have a big offensive role in year one. But when you look at the entire picture, taking Davis and his future potential was better than running it back for one more year with Carter.