Chargers News: How Los Angeles Should Handle Its Edge Rushers On Trade Market
Your Los Angeles Chargers finished the 2023 season with a paltry 5-12 record and one of the worst defenses in the league.
Somehow, that defense remains insanely expensive heading into the offseason, in part because the team does boast some major talent on that side of the ball.
Now, new general manager Joe Hortiz must determine how much of his club's incumbent defensive stalwarts he wants to keep. LA has two Pro Bowl edge rushers, when healthy, in 28-year-old Joey Bosa and 33-year-old Khalil Mack.
Daniel Popper of The Athletic predicts the club will retain at least one of its two studs at the position, but also cautions that LA has yet to test the waters for their value across the league.
"The Chargers must then decide what they want to do with the two edge rushers. I think there should be a trade market for both players," Popper writes. "Bosa, who does not turn 29 until July, will probably be more attractive because of his age. Mack turned 33 in February. How aggressive are the Chargers in the trade market with Bosa and Mack? That is an unanswered question. I was told by one league source the Chargers had yet to start gauging trade interest on Mack and Bosa. But that does not mean it won’t happen. A Bosa trade before June 1 would save the Chargers $14.39 million, according to Over the Cap. After June 1, they would save $22 million. A trading team would be taking on the final two years of Bosa’s contract, which pays him a base salary of $15 million in 2024 and $17 million in 2025. Mack only has one year remaining on his deal, so the cap savings are the same for pre- and post-June 1: $23.25 million. A post-June 1 designation on a cut or trade allows a team to spread dead money over multiple seasons."
"I think a logical result is the Chargers keeping one of the two edge rushers and trading the other. But I do not have a good sense right now of who is likelier to be traded."
