Following a 63-21 shellacking at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night, Los Angeles Chargers ownership decided to clean house. General manager Tom Telesco and head coach Brandon Staley were fired, ushering in a brand new rebuild.
“These decisions are never easy, nor are they something I take lightly — especially when you consider the number of people they impact,” owner Dean Spanos said in a statement. “We are clearly not where we expect to be, however, and we need new vision. Doing nothing in the name of continuity was not a risk I was willing to take. Our fans have stood strong through so many ups and downs and close games. They deserve more. Frankly, they’ve earned more.”
Whoever takes over for Telesco and Staley — and there are some notable early favorites — face a tall order. They will be forced to maneuver a very challenging salary cap situation with several massive contracts on the books.
The Chargers 2024 salary cap is problematic 😬 pic.twitter.com/AJk186ubcv
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) December 15, 2023
Even with the salary cap expected to exceed $240 million in 2024, the organization is in a precarious position. And with the new regime likely to want their own players, several high-paid, long-standing Chargers will almost certainly be shown the door.
58 percent of the team’s overall cap in 2024 is tied up in four players: Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen. It’s possible, if not likely, that three of those four are gone. Maybe even all four.
The Chargers are certainly top heavy and will need to trim the fat and fill out the bottom-half of their roster. Building around quarterback Justin Herbert still seems like the right idea, but it’s going to take some time and require significant financial cleanup.
