As a part of the cap-strapped Chargers’ efforts to bring themselves into cap compliance before the brand new league 12 months opened in March, the club released wide receiver Mike Williams and traded fellow wideout Keenan Allen. Edge defenders Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack also profiled as trade candidates, though each ultimately remained with Los Angeles on reworked contracts.
Those recent deals were originally reported as restructures, which frequently signifies that void years are being added and/or that a player’s base salary is being converted right into a signing bonus to be able to unfolded their cap charge and create more cap space within the upcoming 12 months. Nonetheless, as Daniel Popper of The Athletic notes, Bosa and Mack actually accepted pay cuts, and each players cited the talent of the LA roster as a primary reason for his or her decision (subscription required).
Mack, who’s entering his age-33 season but who has never won a playoff game, stated that the club’s hire of recent head coach Jim Harbaugh also factored into his willingness to take a pay cut. Mack said of Harbaugh, “he’s like a straightforward dude. He’s not going to inform you what you should hear. He form of just kept it real and told me, ‘Well, if we’ve got this many guys on both sides, we are able to win.’ And he’s like, ‘Now we have this number now, and we are able to work on constructing some certain guys up or bringing certain guys in.’”
While the Chargers had a disappointing 2023 campaign, Mack himself was terrific, posting a career-high 17 sacks. He’s under club control through 2024, and although he shall be 34 if/when he hits the open market next offseason, the same showing this 12 months could allow him to land one other lucrative multiyear pact. He also believes that, despite the misfortune that seems to plague the Bolts, and despite the lack of several top offensive performers, the Harbaugh-led outfit is well-equipped to make a postseason run.
“I do know these guys, man,” Mack said. “They got what it takes on this locker room, starting with the quarterback. And then you definately got my guys on defense. It’s just a number of different intangibles that you just search for when you should have a running mate and teammates. So just understanding these guys and knowing their capabilities.”
Bosa, meanwhile, is about to show 29 and due to this fact has more time than Mack to experience playoff success. When discussing his own pay cut, he said simply, “I need to win. I need to be on this team. I need one other shot with the blokes on this room, especially [Mack]. … Winning football games is more vital to me immediately than making some extra cash.”
While Bosa definitely desires to enjoy a championship season with the team that drafted him and is under club control through 2025, he will not be due any more guaranteed money after the 2024 season. On condition that, and on condition that he was nearly on the chopping block this offseason, it’s definitely possible that this shall be his last 12 months with the Chargers, as ESPN’s Kris Rhim notes.
Just like the Watt brothers, Bosa and his little brother, 49ers star Nick Bosa, have discussed the opportunity of playing together. If that were to occur at any point within the near future, it might be in San Francisco, because the younger Bosa is under contract with the Niners through 2028. Per Rhim, those conversations have never been serious, however it seems each players are open to the likelihood.
“It’d be cool sooner or later,” Joey Bosa said. “I all the time considered myself being any individual that may play [with the Chargers] and retire here, which I feel not many individuals do on one team and I feel can be a cool thing to perform, but you never know. I’m going to fret about this 12 months first. … I feel we now have an awesome opportunity here, and who knows, perhaps I’ll have an awesome 12 months this 12 months after which things can change down the road.”
