The Los Angeles Chargers have plenty of work to do this offseason.
Stealing Jim Harbaugh away from the University of Michigan to succeed the often baffling Brandon Staley at head coach was merely the start of an overhaul. Harbaugh’s first season at the helm will be the backdrop to plenty of roster moves. Though some of these decisions will be aimed at improving a 5-12 team, many others will attempt to untangle a roster that’s currently an estimated $35.5 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap.
How did a five-win team with a relatively inexpensive quarterback wind up here? Former general manager Tom Telesco doled out contracts and made trades that left the Chargers with four of the top 20 largest salary cap hits scheduled for the upcoming season.
Los Angeles isn’t the only team that will have to navigate massive icebergs as it plots a course toward contention. The Kansas City Chiefs owe Patrick Mahomes the third largest cap hit in the league this season — a price they’d happily pay after three Super Bowl parades in western Missouri. The two quarterbacks ahead of him, however, have three total playoff wins between them in 14 combined seasons in the league.
So who is set to soak up the most salary cap space as the 2024 offseason prepares to drop into gear? Here are the 20 most expensive players to wedge onto a roster for the upcoming season.
All contract data comes from Spotrac.