NFL: Do the San Diego Chargers Need a Makeover?

3 of 5

Oct 2, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA;San Diego Chargers offensive guard D.J. Fluker (76) awaits the snap during the first half of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Qualcomm Stadium. New Orleans won 35-34. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports /

Finances

Entering the 2017 off-season, the Chargers won’t have a ton of cap space. As of now, the team should have just under $10,000,000 in cap space if they enter the 2017 league year.

If the Chargers want to clear the most space possible, Philip Rivers will be their top earner next season. He will be occupying nearly 13% of the team’s payroll ($20,000,000). If the Chargers choose to move on from Rivers (more on that later), they could triple the amount of cap space they would have available.

After Rivers, the Chargers highest paid salaries are: Brandon Flowers ($11,000,000 or 7%), Corey Liuget ($9,500,000 or 6%), and D.J. Fluker ($8,821,000 or 5.7%). Of those three, only Fluker could be released without any additional dead cap money being owed.

Generally speaking, teams like to enter the off-season with at least $20,000,000 available to spend between free agency and the NFL draft. The Chargers’ current figure, $10,000,000, could become problematic if a rebuild is going to take place. Thus, the team will undoubtedly have to trade or cut several higher paid players.

The team’s status with the city of San Diego could also be an issue as the negotiations for a new stadium continue.

Home/Los Angeles Chargers