Official 2026 Chargers Roster Discussion | Roster Build | Free Agency

[Bolt4Knob]

Top-51 is @start of official league year... March 11th. All of these teams that are over-the-cap currently will need to re-structure, cut, extend, create void years... etc. by then. We are already way under the cap... so no need to do anything by that date.

You probably missed my initial post... 4 or 5 posts ago (6 or 7 pages ago). I was trying to show people how we could afford to bring back Mack, sign the top IOL free agents, sign IOL depth, sign IDL depth... and still get under the cap (final 53 cap at end of training camp).

Within that conversation, I was explaining how I calculated the final 53-man roster... after training camp... using the OTC calculator.
I was try to explain that many of the futures contracts weren't going to make the final 53... so you needed to cut those salaries away... before adding the more expensive contracts (free agents, extensions, draft picks... etc).

But I think my explanation got mis-construed...

I like those contracts as placeholders because cap is worked from the bottom up, not the top down. So teams allocate the minimum costs for a 51/53 roster, the draft picks, the practice squad and in season fund before they start spending. That is what Hortiz meant when he said the actual cap number is not the real cap number.

So when I refer to NET cap space - it is inclusive of all of the above factors. So when you get down to costs allocated and still have $20m of net cap space, and the team has allocated for draft picks and the like - that is a some REALLY good cap space - you can sign 5 players for 5m cap hits essentially as the net addition to the cap is $4m

[Boltjolt]

Khalil lives in Corona del Mar. I suspect he'd like to keep it that way.

Agree but he is right to explore and see what his worth is around the league. He loves where he is, likes this team so im sure if he got an eye opening offer he might consider it but if its near the same and only a couple or few mil more, he wont go. Las Vegas is the next closest team to him. They wont be good next season.

[Bolt4Knob]

Id consider Mafe a fringe starter,....depth piece. Not a full time starer and he hasnt really been that productive. Not even as productive as Oweh. He got less starts the past 2 seasons with only 4 last season while playing all 17 games.... in the same defense we run. Id consider many more Edge rushers in FA'cy before i consider him. He shouldnt be at the top of our list.

Seattles defense was different in that it had so much depth - -not one player had 10 sacks
Neither did the Eagles defense the year before
So I won't say that it should be ignored - but its also not the end all be all.

[dmac_bolt]

dmac_bolt Von Miller had made a shit load of cash, won two Super Bowls and he still took the bag to go to Buffalo. Now, I think Mack is a better player than Von Miller was at the same point when the decision was made by Von to go to Buffalo - but still , it could happen


As for that 6th round comp pick, Nick Korte thinks it will go buh bye

hence, Hortiz - eff comp picks for Oweh and Zion if they leave - sign good players! Any system that is that convuluted, is stupid

No doubt Khalil could leave. I didn’t say he won’t.

[Boltjolt]

My preferred roster build includes:

@edge: Tuli, Mack, Mesidor, Kennard, Dupree
@OL: Rashawn Slater, David Edwards, Connor McGovern, Brian Parker, Joe Alt

The cap works... even allows for "lesser" free agent signings @back-up OL, IDL, and DB... quality (better than we currently have) at these positions.

I wouldnt bring DuPree back. Sign a cheaper edge or draft two.

[Bolt4Knob]

No doubt Khalil could leave. I didn’t say he won’t.

True. I just think some of these narratives around Mack might not matter to him. He has never one a playoff game in his career. If he thinks another team will give him that chance to lift the Lombardi - he will leave the friendly confines of SoCal. Now, I think just as important as $$ - he will want to know how Hortiz is going to improve the team.

[CanadianBoltFan]

Seattles defense was different in that it had so much depth - -not one player had 10 sacks
Neither did the Eagles defense the year before
So I won't say that it should be ignored - but its also not the end all be all.

I think if Mack and Oweh leave, rather than overpay someone like Mafe , i think better to draft Messidor or TJ Parker in round 1 on rookie deal

[Ghost of Quacksaw]

Agree but he is right to explore and see what his worth is around the league. He loves where he is, likes this team so im sure if he got an eye opening offer he might consider it but if its near the same and only a couple or few mil more, he wont go. Las Vegas is the next closest team to him. They wont be good next season.

Pretty sure the Rams are closer...

[Ghost of Quacksaw]

And if he gets an offer of 40m to go play in Baltimore over 18m from the Chargers
he might just take the money and they will figure it out

Mike Evans has been with Tampa for how many years and he is open to other teams. Doesn't mean he won't go back to Tampa but at his age, if he thinks Buffalo, KC or SF give him the better opportunity, his family will figure it out. And Evans has been a part of the Tampa community in ways that Mack hasn't been since this is now his third team.

I'm not disagreeing with you. I just think that the Chargers check about every box Mack could have at this point in his career. We're also all agreed that Khalil isn't the same player that he once was, and his price has come down accordingly. I don't think there will be all that much interest in him around the league although, granted, all it takes is ONE determined suitor. Bottom line, the likelihood is that Mack returns to the Chargers. I'm not, however, offering money back guarantees.

Pretty rare person that would turn down a $40mil contract with one team in favor of an $18mil contract from another. That's a ridiculous extreme, and not the kind of contract offer discrepancy that Khalil is going to experience.

[Xenos]

Well that sucks 😩

[Riverwalk]

If somebody offers him the Von Miller and the Chargers offer mid teens for one year, he is probably going to take the money

Von Miller is a whore and Bills got raped.

[Boltjolt]

Pretty sure the Rams are closer...

Oh yeah....they are lol. Wasnt thinking about them