The Los Angeles Chargers took some big steps forward in 2021. Their offense continued to be prolific, and their defense improved enough to give the team a shot to make the playoffs. Unfortunately, things came crashing down in the final game of the regular season for L.A., as their last second overtime loss at the hands of the Las Vegas Raiders eliminated them from playoff contention.
The Chargers crushing end to the 2021 season doesn't take away from the improvements that were made throughout the season. Justin Herbert proved he's the real deal, and he looks poised to continue to get even better in 2022. With Herbert under center, Los Angeles will have a shot to win every game they take the field for.
The defense, on the other hand, was a work in progress for much of the season. But the Chargers were intent on improving on that side of the ball this offseason, and boy did they ever. Let's take a look at the best moves the Chargers made this offseason that could help them escape a loaded AFC West division and make a deep playoff run in 2022.
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Los Angeles Chargers best offseason moves
3. Extending Mike Williams
Mike Williams seemed to finally put it all together last season. After struggling with injuries and consistency to start his career, Williams broke out at the perfect time in 2021 considering it was a contract year for the young wideout. He earned himself a nice pay raise after hauling in 76 passes for 1146 yards and nine touchdowns last season; the question was whether that raise would come from the Chargers or another team.
Williams seemed like a potential franchise tag candidate, but Los Angeles erased all doubt of Williams' potential departure by inking him to a new contract extension before free agency opened. The Chargers handed him a three year, $60 million deal that also has a player option after the second year if Williams proves that his 2021 season wasn't a fluke.
Keeping Williams onboard was huge for the Chargers. He may be a bit inconsistent, but he's the perfect complement to the sure-handed Keenan Allen at wide receiver. This ensures that Herbert will have his top two targets back from last season, meaning Los Angeles' offense should continue to score at will in 2022.
2. Signing J.C. Jackson
The Chargers defense was too weak for them to be a playoff team in 2021, so the front office made sure that wasn't going to be a problem in 2022. They quickly moved to sign the best cornerback on the free agent market in J.C. Jackson to shore up their secondary. Once a weakness, Jackson joins a Chargers secondary that now looks extremely dangerous with him, Derwin James, and Asante Samuel Jr. leading the way.
Jackson signed a massive five year, $82 million deal that brought him to Los Angeles to lock up their opponents top wideout. To start his career, many folks believed Jackson was getting a lot of ball luck with all the interceptions he was racking up, which helped boost his name up the top cornerback rankings across the league.
And while Jackson still had eight interceptions in 2021 (just one season after having nine), his coverage metrics improved drastically, and it helped him earn his first Pro Bowl selection and a spot on the All-Pro second team.
Now Jackson is taking his talents out west to help fix a Chargers secondary that got picked on quite frequently last season. Jackson proved last season that he doesn't just get interceptions, and that he can lock up any wide receiver who lines up across from him. And in the highly competitive AFC West, Jackson is going to have to do just that if the Chargers want to make the playoffs.
1. Trading for Khalil Mack
The Chargers front seven was led by star pass rusher Joey Bosa last season, but he certainly didn't have much help behind him. That changed quickly when the Chargers swung a deal with the Chicago Bears for star pass rusher Khalil Mack, giving Los Angeles one of the most deadly pass rushing duos in the league.
The Chargers sent Chicago a 2022 second round pick and a 2023 sixth round pick in exchange for Mack, which was widely regarded as one of the biggest steals of the 2022 NFL offseason. Mack only played seven games last season due to a foot injury, but had six sacks in those seven contests, showing that he is still highly productive when he's on the field.
Putting Mack on the same team with Bosa is going to be a safety hazard for opposing quarterbacks. Bosa racked up 10.5 sacks last season despite constantly demanding double teams. Mack has also spent most of his career receiving double teams on the line himself. There's no telling what these two and the rest of the Chargers defense will be able to accomplish in 2022, and that's a scary proposition for the rest of the NFL.
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