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All Eyes on Jim Harbaugh’s Final Hour Masterstroke as Chargers Offense Grapples with Absences of Keenan Allen, Austin Ekeler & Gerald Everett

Published 03/15/2024, 10:26 AM EDT

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Jim Harbaugh is singing ‘All Eyes on Me’ at the top of his lungs with the decision time just on its cusp. The Chargers’ roster will never look the same after an hour, since Jim Harbaugh will trade another one or two of the veteran players who had assumed the identity of being the Chargers team with their performance last season. Khalil Mack made a bang as soon as he joined the team, making a whooping 17 sacks in the season. Since his acquaintance is not as ancient with the team, just a year old, the likeliness of him leaving is the highest.

Jeremy Fowler from ESPN believes that Williams would be the most likely cap casualty since he hit the benches because of an ACL tear just 3 games into the season. Keenan Allen was also a name on the list some days back. Many believed Harbaugh would keep him since he was the longest-tenured player. Fast forward to Thursday night, Allen was traded for a fourth-round pick to the Chicago Bears in the 2024 NFL draft. The first hit to the Chargers offense. It would be a major hit, as Allen was just entering the Golden time of his career. The WR scrimmaged for 108 passes last season while posting the second-best output of his 11-year career with 1,243 yards and seven touchdowns.

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While Allen had to be traded, the tight end Gerald Everett struck a 2-year contract, a $12 million base value contract with the Chicago Bears, as Jeremy Fowler reported. Everett has $6.1 million guaranteed and can max at $14 million. The second hit to the Chargers offense. The option that the franchise could fall back on consistently for the past 2 years is out of the equation now. Speaking of new deals, Chargers free agent Austin Ekeler also shook hands with Washington, ending his seven-year run with the Chargers. The third major hit to the Chargers offense, almost rendering the Chargers offense without the pillars they used to fall back on.

Other major additions and subtractions from the Chargers

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Since the changing dynamism has taken the best of the Chargers, the franchise has let some game-pivoting players go, other than their three musketeers. Former first-round pick LB Kenneth Murray Jr, agreed to a two-year – $15.5 million deal with a max value of $18 million to Tennessee Titans, as reported by NFL Media. Either Khalil Mack or Mike Williams, or even both, are projected to join the list soon, inflicting another major hit on the Chargers foundation.

To make up for it remotely, the Chargers have come to deal with Gus Edwards, the former Baltimore Ravens player, after 4 and a half days of careful consideration. The deal would unite Edwards with Joe Hortiz and Greg Roman from the Ravens.

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READ ALSO: Even if Mike Williams Leaves, Jim Harbaugh Still Faces $9M Conundrum to Satisfy Cap Space Issues

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Will Dissly, the run-blocking tight end who was cut off by the Seattle Seahawks after 6 years, was added to the Chargers as well. Do you think these additions to the Chargers roster make up for the players who left (and also for the ones who will)? How will Jim Harbaugh deal with the major hits as the Chargers’ head coach? Let us know in the comments.

READ MORE: Despite Jim Harbaugh Facing $142M Salary Cap Hurdles, Report Hints at Chargers Coach’s Masterstroke

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Written by:

Pankti Parmar

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One take at a time

Pankti Parmar is an NFL news writer at EssentiallySports. She combines her educational background in psychology with a passion for sports to delve into the minds of athletes and their game strategies. She's our resident expert on Jim Harbaugh and played a pivotal role in our play-by-play coverage of Harbaugh's journey from the Wolverines to the Chargers.
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Edited by:

Bilal Handoo