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With Hours Left for Jim Harbaugh & Co. To Be Cost Compliant, Chargers Expected to Take Monumental Decisions

Published 03/13/2024, 10:33 AM EDT

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USA Today via Reuters

“Welcome to salary cap hell” was the bugle call for Jim Harbaugh and Co. This time, it is Jim Harbaugh and his nitpicked team against their concerning opponent: the $45 million salary cap. Given the amount invested in acquiring the fresh faces at Chargers, the military plan against their first off-season dilemma is expected to be fairly bulletproof. Yet, Harbaugh is sure of one thing before making the final call. There is no way out for him to keep all four veteran players. So, all of it boils down to: who among the four will Harbaugh sacrifice to win the battle against the $45 million salary cap?

Tomorrow will be the day that Jim Harbaugh and Co. will have to finalize their long-impending decision: will it be Joey Bosa or Khalil Mack staying back at the Chargers for another season? After all, it’s about a whopping $142 Million coins being freed. The debate between Mack and Bosa has been brewing on the NFL grounds for quite some days.

Khalil Mack’s journey with the Chargers is quite short compared to Joey Bosa’s. While Mack’s one season with the Chargers seems a tad too little against Bosa’s 8, the records speak volumes about the two since Mack came as a savior to the Chargers’ sinking ship in the previous season with his 74 tackles and a career-high 17 sacks.

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However, the front desk also has other vital things to consider, like the market value they would get for each, the teams’ willingness to trade the guys, and most importantly, the years remaining on their contracts. Since Bosa has two years remaining on his 5-year, $135 million contract, Dan Graziano believes it would be a positive point in Bosa’s case in the Chargers. Top seeds like the 49ers being interested in Mack give them another thing to consider before releasing either. As for the remaining two veterans, their fate seems fairly decided at the franchise.

The future of Mike Williams and Keenan Allen

Notably, Ryan DePaul and Steven Haglund have one observation from the last-day salary cap drama at the Chargers. WR Keenan Allen is most probably not going anywhere, per them. Allen’s base salary this season is $18.1 million, so the Chargers can reasonably save up to $15 million depending on the terms of his new deal, giving them slight room to move in the already $25.6 million over the salary cap.

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And for Mike Williams, DePaul believes the Chargers are most likely to set him free. Bolt Beat confirmed the news, mainly because of the Patriots emerging as the dream partner for Williams. Since he is coming off an ACL tear, finding a prospective team was coming as the most tricky part for the franchise. However, the Patriots checking in with the Chargers this week came as the ultimate silver lining for Williams.

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Moreover, Austin Ekler’s absence would be another challenge to Bolt fans would have to accept. Even Hugland believes it would be weird to watch the Chargers roster without him and whichever one player they decide to move on in the next 24 hours. So, who do you think it will be? Joey Bosa or Khalil Mack?

Despite Chargers Having Least Cap Space Among 32 Teams, Jim Harbaugh Takes $10.12M Hit to Renew Alohi Gillman’s Contract

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Written by:

Pankti Parmar

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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:

Jacob Gijy