2021 Official Chargers Season Discusssion

[Bolt4Knob]

We do but you cant sign a vet for good money and then draft a LT in the first round when you are paying Bulaga 11 mil. Believe me i want us to draft a LT instead of signing Villanueva but if we sign him, i doubt we will unless its a one year deal. We havent had a franchise LT in forever.

At this point - not giving an OL they sign more than a one year deal. Warford, Kelly, Villanueva, Easton - any of them, one year deal. Just as a stopgap in case the rookie isn't ready. I think the Chargers actually need more depth on the interior of the OL than what they have now - which is why I like Warford. I guess I am also assuming they are drafting LT

[Xenos]

Someone mentioned earlier why we didn't just restructure contracts when we don't have to. What happened to the Bears and Fuller is a good example:

https://theathletic.com/2462653/2021/03/18/with-bears-moving-on-from-kyle-fuller-whats-the-plan-what-happens-at-corner/

Fishbain: This is no ordinary salary-cap move, Jahnsy. This isn’t cutting Buster Skrine or Mike Glennon or Cody Parkey or Eddie Royal or Taylor Gabriel or one of the 22 other veterans GM Ryan Pace has released to create cap space since 2015. This is different. This is a clear example of the risk you run when you are forced to restructure a contract, backloading the cap hits into future years. Fuller hasn’t missed a game the past four seasons. He still plays at a high level and at a premium position where the Bears don’t have an obvious in-house replacement. Based on Twitter, fans are not reacting well to the idea that Fuller had to be cut, in part to fit in $10 million for Dalton, but as Nagy would say, this is where we’re at.

[Bolt4Knob]

Someone mentioned earlier why we didn't just restructure contracts when we don't have to. What happened to the Bears and Fuller is a good example:

https://theathletic.com/2462653/2021/03/18/with-bears-moving-on-from-kyle-fuller-whats-the-plan-what-happens-at-corner/

I think I would have just gone with Foles and called it good. But thanks for posting as bad cap management can screw teams over. Pace and Nagy should have been fired but not they leave the next GM a mess.

Fontenot and Smith in Atlanta should have gotten a 7 year deal as quite frankly, the first three years will be dealing with the cap mess created when they extended Matt Ryan but they did it in such a way that now a 36 year old QB will be 40m of dead cap next year.

So for the Chargers - don't do anything with Bosa or Allen unless you truly need it. And with 16m of cap space (per Popper) - they don't need to do anything. Even for Kyle Fuller.

[Xenos]

Popper on the salary cap. We actually have more money!

https://theathletic.com/2463001/2021/03/19/chargers-free-agency-reset-kyle-fuller-jared-cook-top-10-targets-and-more/

The salary cap situation


One correction before we get into the finances: In my spreadsheet, I was subtracting a figure I should have been adding. Just a clerical error. I apologize. So this spending space number will look more inflated than you expected. The net change was about $3 million.

I have the Chargers at roughly $15.7 million in spending space, including Cook’s projected cap hit of $4.5 million. That gives the Chargers enough room to make two more marquee signings. This means they have the space to sign Fuller and make another move for a starter. The spending space number factors in all expenses — deals already made, rookie compensation and budgeting for in-season moves.

[Xenos]

Popper's remaining FA wishlist:

https://theathletic.com/2463001/2021/03/19/chargers-free-agency-reset-kyle-fuller-jared-cook-top-10-targets-and-more/

Top 10 remaining free agents

1. Chiefs OT Eric Fisher

2. Steelers OT Alejandro Villanueva

3. Bears CB Kyle Fuller
The Bears plan to release Fuller, according to our Kevin Fishbain. They could still try and swing a trade. But the news breaking significantly decreases Chicago’s leverage and thus decreases the chances of a trade happening. Fuller is much more intriguing as a free agent option. Any team trading for him would take on a cap hit of $13 million. He has two void years on his contract, so the Chargers hypothetically could restructure his deal to lessen that 2021 cap hit. But he is on this list under the assumption that he hits the open market.

The Chargers still need a corner, and he would fit well into Staley’s scheme, which is a variation of the scheme Vic Fangio runs in Denver and ran with the Bears when he was the defensive coordinator there from 2015-18. Staley coached outside linebackers with the Bears under Fangio from 2017-18. Fuller had his best NFL season with Fangio and Staley in 2018, when he was a first-team All-Pro.

We will see what happens. A trade makes less sense. But if Fuller hits the open market, the Chargers should be in pursuit. Fangio and the Broncos also will be the mix for Fuller.

4. Vikings S Anthony Harris

5. Chiefs OT Mitchell Schwartz

6. Titans CB Adoree’ Jackson

7. OG Larry Warford
Warford is a new addition to the list. The Saints cut him last spring after he had made three straight Pro Bowls. Warford, a right guard, then opted out of the 2020 season because of COVID. Like Cook, he is familiar with the Saints’ offensive system. Lombardi knows him from their time together in New Orleans. As noted above, the Chargers have an opening at right guard. I think this would be a fantastic signing for GM Tom Telesco. Warford turns 30 in July.

8. Broncos DB Kareem Jackson
The Broncos opted not to pick up Jackson’s team option, and he will now hit the open market. Jackson, who turns 33 in April, spent the last two seasons playing for Fangio in Denver. The scheme familiarity makes him an option for the Chargers. Jackson played strong safety for the Broncos. But he was previously a corner in Houston and has some versatility. The Chargers are looking for a third safety behind Derwin James and Nasir Adderley. I love Jackson’s style — physical, violent, downhill. He would be an interesting piece in the safety rotation.

9. Falcons S Ricardo Allen
The Falcons cut Allen in February, meaning he would not count in the compensatory pick formula. He is a true centerfield free safety and would be more of a positional fit than Jackson. He is 29.

10. Panthers G John Miller
Miller started 74 games in six seasons in Carolina and would be an experienced option at right guard. The Chargers would still need to add guard talent in the draft, but they could get Miller for cheap. He played on a one-year, $4 million deal last season for the Panthers.

[Bolt4Knob]

Popper's remaining FA wishlist:

https://theathletic.com/2463001/2021/03/19/chargers-free-agency-reset-kyle-fuller-jared-cook-top-10-targets-and-more/

Fuller and Warford
If not Fuller - going for the risk/reward of Adoree Jackson

Fisher for the vet minimum, a lot of incentives is the only way he makes sense to me

[La Costa Boy]

3 of his top 5 are OL and are either running out of gas or are coming off injuries. For low risk / high reward I see Rick Wagner as a great OL addition. The guy was simply a cap move a la Fuller AND he is going to be much cheaper than any of those 3. I would also venture that he would be a bit more reliable/sustainable. Who knows, you might hit a Hayward type of score at Green Bay's expense again.

I would rather see us sign 2 or 3 guys like Wagner rather than one Fisher/Villanueva/Schwartz.


Just my 2 centavos.

[Boltjolt]

Popper's remaining FA wishlist:
https://theathletic.com/2463001/2021...gets-and-more/

Doubt Fisher is an option as he wont play next season. Weird to even mention him unless they want his first year cap hit to be an absolute bargain to sit and rehab.

[BoltingUP]

Originally posted by Xenos View Post
Someone mentioned earlier why we didn't just restructure contracts when we don't have to. What happened to the Bears and Fuller is a good example:
https://theathletic.com/2462653/2021...ens-at-corner/

I want to point out that the Bears is a great example of why aggressive organizations win and passive ones lose. The Bears were 7.5 million over the cap and cut players. The Chiefs started 35 million over the cap, cut their two injured tackles and center, re-structured, signed Thuney, Long and are ready for more. It has cost them very little in future years and it is more than offset by the new television revenues. If the Chargers were 35 million over the cap, we would have cut our players, raised our hands and said we can't do anything. We would waste a year of a rookie QB. This league is divided by the organizations that want to win and the organizations that find ways to be afraid of their own shadow.

[La Costa Boy]

I know Ninja has been touting CB Fabian Moreau. I took a quick look at one site and they had him so far down their CB rankings list that I thought I had missed him when looking. Ninja, what do you see that others don't with FM???

Just curious, because if he is all that he could come uber cheap at this point.

[Tbone33101]

I want to point out that the Bears is a great example of why aggressive organizations win and passive ones lose. The Bears were 7.5 million over the cap and cut players. The Chiefs started 35 million over the cap, cut their two injured tackles and center, re-structured, signed Thuney, Long and are ready for more. It has cost them very little in future years and it is more than offset by the new television revenues. If the Chargers were 35 million over the cap, we would have cut our players, raised our hands and said we can't do anything. We would waste a year of a rookie QB. This league is divided by the organizations that want to win and the organizations that find ways to be afraid of their own shadow.

How are the bears an example? They had to cut their best cornerback to afford Andy dalton as their starter. They are an example of bad cap management if anything and I don’t see how you could call the current regime a successful organization.

[wu-dai clan]

Warford is the best one.
My gut feeling is we draft our ORG and NDB.
These are critical PONs.
IMHO.