While players are gearing up to start taking the field soon, accountants and salary-cap managers are hard at work, looking to see if they can lock up some of their key players whose contracts expire at the end of the season.
The Chargers have a handful of notable players who are set to become free agents after the 2020 season. To ensure they’re on the roster beyond this season, deals could get done before training camp or the regular season.
ESPN named over 50 players who could be considered for a contract extension before the 2020 campaign arrives. Los Angeles has five players mentioned.
Here are the Chargers players as well as what ESPN had to say about them:
WR Keenan Allen: “Allen has at least 97 catches and at least 1,100 yards in each of his past three seasons, just turned 28 and is set to make $10.75 million in the final year of his contract.”
WR Hunter Henry: “The Chargers’ franchise player will make $10.607 million this year if he doesn’t reach agreement on an extension by July 15.“
DE Joey Bosa: “Bosa’s option year is this year, and he’s slated to make $14.36 million. Franchising him in 2021 would cost something in the $17 million to $18 million range. Remember that Bosa and the Chargers had trouble agreeing to the details of his slotted rookie contract the year he was drafted. No rumblings of this yet, but would anyone be surprised if Bosa turned out to be a guy who held out for a new deal with one year left?”
DE Melvin Ingram: “Bosa isn’t the only Chargers pass-rusher in the final year of his deal. Melvin Ingram III has $14 million coming in 2020 and nothing after. He’s 31 years old. Can the Chargers keep both of these guys?”
CB Desmond King: “King is an extremely valuable player for the Chargers in the return game as well as the defense.”