3 worst contracts on the Chargers 2023 roster

The LA Chargers have been very aggressive in the moves the team has made over the last several years. After having the splashiest offseason in franchise history in 2022, Tom Telesco followed it up with extremely bold restructures to create space for the 2023 offseason.

In addition to the bold moves, the Chargers have also been able to secure really great deals on some very important players. The contracts given out to Trey Pipkins and Morgan Fox, for example, are exceptionally valued for the Bolts.

Not every deal is a great one for the team, though. While the Chargers are in a relatively-decent situation with the future cap, there are some contracts that stick out as eye sores on the books.

3 worst contracts on the Chargers roster in 2023:

All salary cap figures courtesy of Over The Cap.

J.C. Jackson; four years, $74.5 million remaining ($17 million in 2023)

The J.C. Jackson signing has not aged well a year later. That isn't totally the Chargers' fault and to be fair, there is time for Jackson to return and prove he is worth the big deal. But he played poorly at the start of last season and then suffered an injury that typically derails NFL careers.

That is a lot of money to give to someone when nobody really knows where he will be a year from now. Sure there is a chance that he returns to form but there is also the chance that he is the most overpaid corner in the league.

The one saving grace of Jackson's deal is that there is not as much dead money as other larger deals. The Chargers could get out of it in 2024 with $15 million in dead money and $4.375 million in saved cap space. As the contract continues, the amount of dead money owed gets less and less.

Eric Kendricks; two years, $13.25 million remaining ($6.75 million in 2023)

When this is one of the worst contracts that the Chargers have on the books then you know that the books are relatively clean. This contract certainly isn't a great one but it isn't something that is going to restrict the team moving forward.

The Chargers can get out of this contract after the 2023 season without having to pay much. If the team were to cut Kendricks before next season it would only carry a $2.75 million dead cap hit. That is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The reason why this deal makes the list is because Kendricks is a bit overpriced compared to others at his position. This is someone who was released from the Vikings and is past his prime and still secured a payday that is double that of Drue Tranquill. The cap number is only $4 million, though.

Khalil Mack; two years, $55.15 million remaining ($16.6 million cap hit in 2023)

Khalil Mack was one of the bold restructures that Telesco made this offseason and by doing so he not only created more space this spring but insured that Mack will be cut before the 2024 season.

Mack's cap hit in the final year of his contract is simply way too big to justify paying. The Chargers are due to pay $38.5 million against the cap for Mack next season and by cutting him the team will save $23.25 million against the cap.

That is still a dead cap hit of $15.2 million next season. The fact that it is essentially a guarantee that Mack gets cut, with the number being so large, is why he makes the list.