Chargers News: Rivals Praised For Poaching Veteran Bolts

Alex Kirschenbaum | Apr 5, 2024

Nov 22, 2020; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen (13) / Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Rival NFL clubs have received significant praise for inking a pair of now-ex Los Angeles Chargers offensive weapons to cost-effective deals, opines Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports.

Kerr's favorite new signing with Chargers ties is former top Bolts running back Austin Ekeler's two-year, $8.34 million agreement with the Washington Commanders. He ranks Ekeler's agreement second overall.

"There are smart deals for free agent running backs, and paying Ekeler $4.17 million a year is one of them. Ekeler never received the contract he wanted with the Los Angeles Chargers, and those days of getting major money for his position appear to be past him at 29 years old," Kerr notes. "The highest cap number for Ekeler is $5.11 million in year two of the deal, and this is just one year removed from leading the NFL in touchdowns in 2021 and 2022. An ankle injury in Week 1 limited Ekeler to 3.1 yards per carry after the opening week (third worst in the NFL), so the Commanders were able to get him at a reasonable price.  If Ekeler is fully recovered from the ankle injury, the Commanders are getting a player that had 3,195 scrimmage yards and 38 scrimmage touchdowns combined in 2021 and 2022. If Ekeler performs near that level in 2024, his contract will be one of the biggest steals in the NFL."

The New York Jets brought in the Bolts' No. 2 wideout, Mike Williams, on a fairly reasonable one-year, $10 million agreement. Kerr ranks the achievement as the fifth-savviest signing of the offseason to date.

"The Jets added four void years to this contract, which is why Williams has a cap number of $2.724 million for 2024," Kerr writes. "Williams is averaging 15.6 yards per catch since his rookie year in 2017, trailing only A.J. Brown amongst receivers (minimum 500 targets). Williams is coming off a torn ACL (suffered in Week 3 last season), but he's going to be a deep ball receiver in an offense with Aaron Rodgers throwing him the ball and Garrett Wilson as the No. 1 wide receiver.:

While Pro Bowl quarterback Justin Herbert will no doubt miss their availability (especially Williams, given that Herbert is also without No. 1 wide receiver Keenan Allen, a six-time Pro Bowler), LA could easily select an elite college prospect with the fifth pick in this month's draft. Ohio State Buckeyes junior Marvin Harrison Jr. and LSU Tigers junior Malik Nabers are seen as the top two players at the position this year.