The LA Chargers are a relatively young team as they head into the 2022 season, which is exactly how the front office drew it up. There is a lot of talent on this roster that is ready to make a Super Bowl run and in theory, that talent is only going to get better.
However, there still is older talent on the roster and while the Chargers do not have an Antonio Gates-like veteran, they do have players who have a good chance of following in Gates's footsteps as a Hall of Famer. Gates is not in the Hall of Fame yet because he is not yet eligible but he should undoubtedly be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
That raises the question, which current LA Chargers have the best chance of making the Hall of Fame in the future?
There are 4 Chargers who have a pretty good chance of making the Hall of Fame as it stands today:
1. Keenan Allen
Keenan Allen has the best Hall of Fame odds of anyone on this list as he has been around for long enough and has put up the numbers to back it up. While Allen has never been the best receiver in the league, he has constantly put up big numbers for the Chargers and still has more to accomplish.
We might see Allen start to regress some but he still should have another two years, at the very least, of 1,000-yard football in him. By the time his current contract with the Chargers is up he is going to be the team's all-time leader in receiving yards, which is going to make it very hard to not induct him in the Hall of Fame.
Allen's game should translate well and I would not be surprised if he plays into his late 30s. Let's say over the next three years he finishes with 3,200 receiving yards. Then he plays another three years through his age 35 season and picks up another 2,100 receiving yards.
That would add 5,300 yards to his career total, which would put him at 14,000 career receiving yards. Only 12 players in NFL history have crossed the 14,000-yard mark. Eight of those 12 are Hall of Famers and the four who haven't made it recently retired and could be on their way.
2. Justin Herbert
Yes, Justin Herbert has the second-best Hall of Fame odds on the LA Chargers despite only playing two years in the NFL. Obviously, Herbert has not yet done enough to make the Hall of Fame and he still has a lot of football left to play before he does get those honors. We are by no means saying a third-year quarterback is already a lock for the Hall of Fame.
That being said, it is fair to say that Herbert is having a Hall of Fame start to his NFL career and as long as he puts together a long enough career that he might be a shoo-in to get the ultimate honor. Of course, there is always the chance of premature retirement like Andrew Luck but Herbert seems to love football too much to do that.
Herbert has broken just about every passing record that can be broken for a quarterback in the first two years of his career and there are no signs of him slowing down. Quarterbacks are not this good and then simply fall off.
There were the Herbert doubters that thought the rookie season was a mirage and we made the same argument. Now, after two seasons at an elite level (with him playing at an MVP level last season) it is safe to say that he is going to be among the league's best for years to come.
The Hall of Fame loves quarterbacks and if Herbert is already a top-three quarterback in the league in year three, he has to like his chances to put together a Hall of Fame career.
3. Joey Bosa
Time is on Joey Bosa's side. Bosa has not yet done enough to say that he has a Hall of Fame resume but he is still relatively young and could have a lot of football left in front of him. Bosa has been around for quite some time so fans may forget just how young he was when he came into the league with the Chargers in 2016.
Bosa was only 21 for his rookie season in 2016 and he will be turning 27 in July prior to the 2022 season. That means that Bosa has three more seasons under the age of 30 to play at an elite level and even after the age of 30 he could still play at a high level.
Edge rusher age better than most positions in the NFL and while he will be past his prime, Bosa could still very well be a Pro Bowl-caliber edge rusher until he is 33 years old. If Bosa ends up being a Pro Bowler through his age 32 season he would finish his career with a total of 10 Pro Bowls. That is already the start of a Hall of Fame resume.
If Bosa plays at that high of a level over the next six years then we can assume that he averages around 10 sacks per season. If he does that it would bring his career total up to 118. If he plays another three years in the league he could easily get above the 130 threshold and potentially the 140 threshold.
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There have only been 24 players in NFL history to reach 130 sacks. That alone is not enough to get Bosa into the Hall of Fame but if he can turn in a Defensive Player of the Year season (possible) and win a Super Bowl (or hopefully multiple) then he very well could get into the Hall.