The LA Chargers were in a great position last offseason with a surplus of cap space and star players to spend it on. That is exactly that the team did, as Tom Telesco and Brandon Staley produced the most aggressive offseason in franchise history.
Now the situation is a bit different. The NFL's cap number is officially set at $224.8 million, meaning that the Chargers are $20.3 million over the cap as it stands right now, per Over The Cap. The team is going to have to get creative to free up cap space to retain players and to bring in the draft class.
Using OTC's cap calculator, Chargers fans can play around with the different scenarios to see how the team can free up money. And with a few simple moves, the Chargers can free up around $35 million in cap space to spend this offseason (and that is not including a Keenan Allen trade/cut).
How the Chargers can free up $35 million in cap space:
1. Extending Michael Davis
The Chargers were probably planning on cutting Michael Davis after the 2022 season considering he had a bad 2021 season and had very little dead money attached to his contract in 2023. However, Davis turned around and was one of the best corners in the entire league after the bye week, becoming an impossible cap casualty for the Bolts.
What the Chargers can do, however, is offer him an extension that can bring down his cap hit for the 2023 season. The Chargers can convert some of his base salary into a signing bonus, allowing that cap hit to be spaced out over several years.
There are more complex ways the Chargers can go about this but if they simply convert $5 million of his $6 million salary into a signing bonus, and add on two more years, then his cap hit would fall to $6 million. This would save the Chargers just under $3.5 million.
It is not a lot, and as mentioned, the team can get more creative with this is they want to free up slightly more space. But this is an easy way to add a bit more wiggle room while also benefiting both parties.
2. Cutting Matt Feiler and Dustin Hopkins
It seems like there are only two obvious cut candidates for the LA Chargers. Of course, the Bolts could cut some of the lesser players knowing that they are bringing in a draft class full of talent but when it comes to the significant names, Matt Feiler and Dustin Hopkins are the two likely candidates.
Brandon Staley seems too attached to Khalil Mack to make that kind of move, especially after trading a second-round pick for him last offseason. And while the Keenan Allen discourse is the biggest conversation in the fanbase right now, that never seems like it will happen.
Feiler is a no-brainer though as the Chargers may already have his replacement in Jamaree Salyer, who thrived as a fill-in left tackle for the Bolts last season. However, the team could also slide Salyer over to right tackle to potentially replace Trey Pipkins and then draft a guard to start next to Rashawn Slater.
By cutting Feiler before June 1, the Chargers could save $6.5 million against the cap while only carrying $2 million in dead money. With easy replacements and Feiler being just mediocre last season, this is an easy decision to make.
Cutting Dustin Hopkins becomes easier thanks to the emergence of Cameron Dicker. With Hopkins, it is important to cut him after June 1, as the Chargers would free up more cap space. By doing so, the Bolts would free up $2.28 million.
Cutting Feiler and Hopkins would free up $8.78 million and when combined with a Davis extension, would free up $12.1 million in total. That is not even enough to get the Chargers back in the positive, making the last step the most important.
3. Restructuring Joey Bosa, Corey Linsley and Sebastian Joseph-Day
The Chargers have the ability to free up $60 million in cap space with simple restructures alone this offseason. Los Angeles likely is not going to go that far as it would put the team in a horrible cap situation in the future but there are still some very obvious restructure candidates this offseason.
Sebastian Joseph-Day is the least impactful of the bunch but that does not mean that the team shouldn't do it. SJD has two more years under contract with an extremely flexible contract in 2024. He is not going anywhere and restructuring him should not be an issue or hinder the team. It only frees up $2.71 million this season but it is something.
Corey Linsley also is not going anywhere and is likely going to play out the rest of his contract as an elite center for the Chargers. Knowing that he is going to age well and also has a favorable contract on the back end is a benefit for the Chargers. Restructuring him frees up $6.22 million.
Finally, Joey Bosa is the most obvious restructure candidate this offseason as a simple restructure can free up $15.2 million in cap space this season. Bosa too is not going anywhere and his contract ends when he is 30, so the Chargers don't have to worry about him having a large cap hit when is is old and has regressed.
These three simple restructures (the Chargers could make it more complex to free up more money) would free up approximately $24.13 million. In total with the other moves, the Chargers would be freeing up over $36 million in cap space.
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With these moves, the Chargers would have $15.89 million in cap space to work with. That would be enough to pay for the incoming draft class and 2-3 cheap free agents (or potentially re-sign someone like Drue Tranquill or Trey Pipkins).