The LA Chargers are one of two AFC West teams that extended their season by making the playoffs. The Bolts went 10-7 to secure the fifth seed in the AFC West while the Kansas City Chiefs once again won the division with 14 wins. The Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos were unable to hold up their end of the bargain with disappointing seasons.
While the Chargers and Chiefs prepare for a potential Super Bowl run, the Raiders and Broncos are already looking ahead to next season. Both teams (as well as the Chargers and Chiefs) have a lot of roster decisions to make this upcoming spring.
This naturally is going to lead to some familiar faces departing the AFC West in favor of new homes. Some of those departures are naturally going to benefit the Chargers in the future.
3 players Chargers fans are glad to see leaving the AFC West in 2023:
Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs secured the rushing title this season after the Raiders decided not to give him his fifth-year option before the season began. Now, after being the Raiders' most consistent player on either side of the ball, Jacobs and the team have some hurdles to get over.
Jacobs did say that he hopes to return to the Raiders but that it still has to make sense for him. Jacobs is essentially saying that he would like to stay in Vegas as long as the team actually pays him what he is worth.
And as we have seen time and time again, teams don't often pay running backs premium contract figures. This is especially true when the Raiders already have so much money on the books and do not have much room to pay a premium for Jacobs.
So while he might say he hopes to re-sign with the Raiders, from a logistical standpoint, it is very hard to see Vegas making this work with the team's current financial situation. Thus, Jacobs may find a new home outside of the AFC West in 2023.