After falling victim to the third-largest playoff comeback in NFL history in 2022, the Los Angeles Chargers seemed poised to rebound from their legendary letdown in 2023. Instead, a team with so much talent fell flat. The Chargers lost eight of their last nine games, saw Justin Herbert suffer a season-ending broken finger, and eventually fired head coach Brandon Staley amidst a 5-12 finish.

A franchise expected to be a contender in the AFC is now looking at a rebuild with an important offseason ahead. Acquisitions are usually the focus once the season ends, but some of the toughest decisions are internal debates over which veteran players to cut to save money. The Chargers enter the offseason with -$44 million in cap space and must find ways to get in the black by releasing players and reallocating funds. Here are the top three cut candidates for the Chargers this offseason.

 

Khalil Mack (Outside Linebacker)

The Chargers face a huge decision this offseason about the future of edge rusher Khalil Mack — one of the league's elites at his position. In each of his last eight full seasons, Mack has either earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors (including four seasons where he secured both). His 17 sacks in 2023 were a career-high and the fourth-most in the NFL.

But Mack will be 33 years old in less than two weeks and is entering the final season of his contract with the Chargers. At $38 million, his cap hit is the highest on the Los Angeles roster and the team can save $23 million by cutting the star pass-rusher at any point during the offseason. With the team entering something of a rebuild in 2024, releasing the veteran Khalil Mack makes sense both on the field and on the books.

Mike Williams (Wide Receiver)

Neither Keenan Allen nor Mike Williams will feel that their roster spot is secure this offseason. This talented pair of wideouts are among the top four paid Chargers players in 2024 — each carrying a cap hit of $32 million or more — and entering the final year of their current deals. Allen will be 32 and is coming off another phenomenal season, while Williams, age 29, is coming off an early-season knee injury that knocked him out for the rest of the campaign.

Both are candidates to be cut by LA, but Williams' injury history is a bit more of a worry than Allen's age. The Chargers save $20 million by cutting Williams; add that to the $23 million from releasing Mack and the Chargers get themselves on the right side of the salary cap. Cutting Keenan Allen would also save the franchise an additional $23 million — inviting the possibility that the Chargers could release both of their star receivers.

Eric Kendricks (Inside Linebacker)

After a long career with the Minnesota Vikings, Eric Kendricks moved to Los Angeles to join the Chargers in 2023. Kendricks was solid once again but the soon-to-be 32-year-old is a likely salary cap casualty for a Chargers team in desperate need of cap space. Kendricks has one season left on his two-year deal and carries a $9.25 million cap hit for 2024. Releasing Kendricks this offseason saves the Chargers $6.5 million, leaving less than $3 million in dead cap.

Kendricks has shown he can still be productive. Yet his salary cost does not align with where the Chargers are at right now financially. A departure from SoCal is likely for Eric Kendricks this offseason as the Chargers look to rebuild.