Antonio Gates considered playing in 2019, but not with Chargers

Tight end Antonio Gates was considering playing in 2019.

Before hanging up his cleats, tight end Antonio Gates was close to capping off his career with a final season played in 2019. But it wasn’t going to be with the Los Angeles Chargers.

According to ESPN’s Eric D. Williams, Gates’ best opportunity was with the Indianapolis Colts because of his familiarity with head coach Frank Reich and wide receiver coach Nick Sirianni, where he would serve as a mentor for Eric Ebron. However, the Colts fell out of playoff contention.

The Chargers were ready to move on from the 39-year old after the 2017 season, but a severe injury to Hunter Henry forced them to bring him back as an insurance. Gates finished the 2018 regular season with 28 receptions for 333 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

With Henry, Virgil Green and Lance Kendricks making up the tight end room in 2019, there wasn’t a need for Gates, even when Henry missed four games after sustaining a knee injury.

Offseason reset should bring plenty of hope for Chargers in 2020

If the Los Angeles Chargers nail this offseason, they should be in great standing for the 2020 season.

The Los Angeles Chargers didn’t have the season that they were hoping for in 2019. After going 12-4, which included a trip to the playoffs, it was followed up with a 5-11 record, the worst in the AFC West.

You can point to the slew of injuries, the midseason coaching change, the in-game problems that led to the close losses all year as the reasons why they were unable to string more wins together.

The bottom line is that they can now only look towards the next season. The Chargers will have the offseason to add more talent to an already impressive roster to ensure that they can have a campaign similar to 2018.

That is why Bleacher Report’s Chris Roling identified offseason reset as Los Angeles’ best reason for hope for next year.

Things didn’t pan out the way the Los Angeles Chargers envisioned in 2019—a slight understatement for a team that put up just five wins a year removed from 12.

The question that’s hanging over Philip Rivers’ time with the team isn’t fun, either, as the 38-year-old faces free agency and skills decline. But what is? The No. 6 pick and $56.4 million in cap space.

In the draft, the Chargers could be in a position for a top-flight passer such as Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa. And generally speaking, the front office has been money in the first round, having selected Derwin James, Mike Williams, Joey Bosa, Melvin Gordon III and Jason Verrett.

Free agency will present an interesting opportunity, too, with guys such as quarterback Marcus Mariota and otherwise. Regressions of seven wins don’t happen often, and the Chargers have plenty of resources capable of spurring a similar rebound.

Sitting atop of the priorities for the Chargers this offseason is deciding the future for 15 of their own players whose contracts are expiring. Among the group is quarterback Philip Rivers, running back Melvin Gordon, tight end Hunter Henry and guard Michael Schofield.

The team is sitting pretty with $56.4 million in salary cap space to bring back some of these key contributors. But they will have to make some tough decisions by letting go of those that hurt them this past season and bring in talent from the free agency pool to set them up for success moving forward.

After signing in-house players and soon-to-be free agents at positions of need like a plug-and-play offensive lineman, the 2020 NFL draft will be the perfect outlet to find the future face of the franchise early on, and talent on the offensive line, wide receiver, cornerback and defensive tackle position.

If the Chargers nail their offseason, they will be in great standing when they start their new journey in their new stadium. The biggest thing during the 2020 campaign is making sure that the majority of the roster can stay healthy throughout the full slate.

Chargers 2019 end of season awards

Taking a look at the Los Angeles Chargers’ most valuable player, biggest disappointment, most underrated, etc.

The Los Angeles Chargers came up short this season, failing to make the playoffs for the second consecutive year.

While many fans are ready to put 2019 to bed, it’s still only right to reflect and hand out the season awards.

Most Valuable Player: DE Joey Bosa

There wasn’t another player that was as consistent and made an impact on a weekly basis like Bosa. Bosa finished with 67 tackles, 11.5 sacks and a forced fumble this season, along with 51 quarterback pressures. Bosa earned his second trip to the Pro Bowl, finishing tied for second in the AFC in sacks while also racking up the fifth-most tackles of any defensive end in the NFL. Expect Bosa to be one of the highest-paid players at his position this offseason since the former Ohio State product has proven his worth since being drafted in 2016.

Honorable Mention: RB Austin Ekeler

Offensive Player of the Year: RB Austin Ekeler

Ekeler had one job heading into the season. That was to man the starting role while Melvin Gordon held out at the beginning of the season. Ekeler shined as the team’s No. 1 back. When Gordon came back, he was still productive, accumulating a handful of rushing and receiving yards. Ekeler lined up all over the formation, creating mismatches and making it impossible for defenders to predict what’s coming. When the ball was in his hands, he nearly always made something big happen. Ekeler, a Pro Bowl snub, ranked ninth in the NFL with 1,550 total yards from scrimmage and led the team and finished tied for eighth in the league with 11 total touchdowns.

Honorable Mention: WR Keenan Allen

Defensive Player of the Year: CB Casey Hayward

Had safety Derwin James been healthy all season, then there’s a strong chance that he would have been given this award. But in a larger sample size, Hayward made his mark week in and week out. After failing to record an interception in 2018, he managed to amass two this season. On top of that, he had eight passes defensed. Even though he finished with a career-low 32 tackles, it just goes to show how little opposing wide receivers that he covered were targeted. Hayward had a solid grade of 84.2, per Pro Football Focus.

Honorable Mention: DE Joey Bosa

Rookie of the Year: LB Drue Tranquill

General manager Tom Telesco has been notorious for finding gems on Day 3 of the draft, and he managed to hit a home-run with his fourth-round selection. Tranquill made his mark as a force in the middle of the defense, finishing with 75 tackles, four tackles for loss and a pass deflected. He was also a special teams ace, tied for fourth in the league in tackles (11). Tranquill’s future is bright and fans should be looking forward to him being the starting middle linebacker for years to come.

Honorable Mention: P Ty Long

Breakout Player of the Year: OC Scott Quessenberry

The offensive line wasn’t particularly a bright spot for the Chargers due to injuries that occurred throughout the season. But when one man (Pouncey) went down, another stepped up. Quessenberry, the 2018 fifth-round selection, made an impact early on that many may have not been expecting from him when handing him the starting duties. The former UCLA product was consistent in pass protection and in the run blocking department. Depending on what happens with Pouncey, Quessenberry could be in line to start as soon as next season.

Honorable Mention: FB Derek Watt

Biggest Disappointment: QB Philip Rivers

Coming off one of his best campaigns yet, it was expected that Rivers was going to match that during his contract year. But the veteran quarterback didn’t, finishing with 23 touchdowns to 20 interceptions and leaving many in question in regards to the future of the 38-year old. Rivers surely didn’t benefit from the injuries that occurred the offensive line, but it wouldn’t be fair to say it was all on the group. Poor decision-making and belittled arm talent was a result in a handful of the close games that the Chargers lost. Set to become a free agent, whether or not Rivers will play in the blue and gold for another season remains to be seen.

Honorable Mention: CB Desmond King

Most Underrated: WR Mike Williams

After losing Tyrell Williams to the Raiders, it benefited Williams immensely. Williams finished with 49 receptions for 1,001 yards and two touchdowns. Even though his production was down in the scoring department, we got to see his emergence as a deep threat. He finished second in the NFL with 20 yards per reception. This was all accomplished while dealing with a knee injury. The best is yet to come for the former Clemson product.

Honorable Mention: G Michael Schofield

Chargers shut out of AP All-Pro teams

Three players of the Los Angeles Chargers received votes for the 2019 AP All-Pro Team.

Even though the Los Angeles Chargers finished with one of the worst records in the NFL, the talent on the roster wouldn’t suggest that.

But that talent still was not recognized when the annual AP All-Pro Teams were announced on Friday.

After having three players (Derwin James, Adrian Phillips, Desmond King) earn the honors in 2018, none of them were named to the teams this season.

This year, defensive end Joey Bosa (1), running back Austin Ekeler (1) and fullback Derek Watt (2) were the only Chargers to receive votes.

Despite having one of their best seasons yet, cornerback Casey Hayward and wide receiver Keenan Allen did not receive a vote for either of the teams and were passed over for players with better numbers.

Had safeties Derwin James and Adrian Phillips played a full season, they very well could have been named to one of the teams based on their performances in the small sample size this season.

Below are the teams, first and second:

FIRST TEAM

OFFENSE

Quarterback — Lamar Jackson, Baltimore

Running Back — Christian McCaffrey, Carolina

Flex — Christian McCaffrey, Carolina

Tight End — George Kittle, San Francisco

Wide Receivers — Michael Thomas, New Orleans; DeAndre Hopkins, Houston

Left Tackle — Ronnie Stanley, Baltimore

Right Tackle — Ryan Ramczyk, New Orleans

Left Guard — Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis

Right Guard — Zack Martin, Dallas

Center — Jason Kelce, Philadelphia

DEFENSE

Edge Rushers — Chandler Jones, Arizona; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh

Interior Linemen — Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams; Cam Heyward, Pittsburgh

Linebackers — Bobby Wagner, Seattle; Demario Davis, New Orleans; Eric Kendricks, Minnesota.

Cornerbacks — Stephon Gilmore, New England; Tre’Davious White, Buffalo

Safeties — Jamal Adams, New York Jets; Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh

Defensive Back — Marcus Peters, Baltimore; Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City; and Marlon Humphrey, Baltimore

SPECIAL TEAMS

Placekicker — Justin Tucker, Baltimore

Punter — Brett Kern, Tennessee

Kick Returner — Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago

Punt Returner — Deonte Harris, New Orleans

Special Teamer — Matthew Slater, New England

SECOND TEAM

OFFENSE

Quarterback — Russell Wilson, Seattle

Running Back — Derrick Henry, Tennessee

Flex — Derrick Henry, Tennessee

Tight End — Travis Kelce, Kansas City

Wide Receivers — Julio Jones, Atlanta; Chris Godwin, Tampa Bay

Left Tackle — David Bakhtiari, Green Bay

Right Tackle — Mitchell Schwartz, Kansas City

Left Guard — Joel Bitonio, Cleveland; Joe Thuney, New England

Right Guard — Marshal Yanda, Baltimore

Center — Rodney Hudson, Oakland

DEFENSE

Edge Rushers — Shaq Barrett, Tampa Bay; Cameron Jordan, New Orleans

Interior Linemen — Grady Jarrett, Atlanta; DeForest Buckner, San Francisco

Linebackers — Luke Kuechly, Carolina; Darius Leonard, Indianapolis; T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh

Cornerbacks — Richard Sherman, San Francisco; Marcus Peters, Baltimore

Safeties — Justin Simmons, Denver; Tyrann Mathieu, Kansas City

SPECIAL TEAMS

Placekicker — Josh Lambo, Jacksonville

Punter — Tress Way, Washington

Kick Returner — Mecole Hardman, Kansas City

Punt Returner — Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh

Special Teamer — Cordarrelle Patterson, Chicago, and J.T. Gray, New Orleans

Studs, duds from Chargers’ 2019 season

Chargers Wire’s Gavino Borquez lays out the Los Angeles Chargers’ studs and duds from the 2019 season.

The Los Angeles Chargers entered the season with the expectations that they were going to make a deep run into the playoffs. But injuries, a mid-season coaching change and in-game blunders were too much to overcome.

As a result, they finished with a 5-11 season, 0-6 in division play.

Though the Chargers didn’t have the year that they were anticipating, there were some players that did contribute, while there were some that hardly benefited.

Click on the gallery below to find out who the biggest studs and duds this season were:

Chargers ready to say farewell to Dignity Health Sports Park

After spending three seasons in a soccer stadium, coaches and players of the Los Angeles Chargers are ready to move on.

The Los Angeles Chargers will play their final game at Dignity Health Sports Park, formerly knows as StubHub Center, this Sunday when they take on the Oakland Raiders.

After moving from San Diego to Los Angeles in 2017, the Chargers used the stadium that served as the main home to the L.A. Galaxy as their temporary home for three seasons.

The stadium that held 27,000 didn’t seem like home for the Bolts as the stands were flooded with fans to the opposing team, where their cheers outnumbered the Chargers fans and quite often booed them, too.

The high cost of tickets made a habit of selling their tickets for profit. But it’s been tough for the Chargers to build a market as there hasn’t been a football team in Los Angeles for two decades and because of it, those seats were filled with colors other than blue and gold.

For many of the players and coaches, they’re ready to start a new era when they move into SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA with a seat capacity of 78,000, which will be shared with the Rams starting in 2020.

“I’m pretty excited for the new stadium to open up. Look at the game last week, 90 percent purple, maybe. That’s tough. Hopefully when we go to the new stadium it’s a lot better. Hopefully we have a decent fan base, a decent following,” guard Michael Schofield said.

Coach Anthony Lynn compared it to a high school football stadium in Texas, while punter Ty Long felt like it was similar to the stadiums in the Canadian Football League where he played before signing with Los Angeles.

“We’re going to miss the place. You never are going to play someplace like that again, I believe, in that type of intimate environment. We’ll miss it, but we’re looking forward to going to our new home,” Lynn said.

The Chargers lost their first three games there before winning the final five home games of the 2017 season. They have an 11-10 home record compared to being 14-9 on the road during the three-year stint.

Fans that paid the hefty price to watch their favorite team at Dignity Health Sports Park were able to get an up-close experience as it appeared to be a lower level view no matter where they sat.

But players are excited to move into a new stadium that will give them the feeling like they’re actually playing in the National Football League.

“There’s something about that bigger stadium that feels like, ‘OK, now I’m on the big stage. I feel like a Roman gladiator, a rock star, all that. It’s just part of the experience,” running back Austin Ekeler said, per Orange County Register’s Gilbert Manzano.

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