Eric Kendricks Announces Deal With Chargers in Nostalgic Instagram Post

The former UCLA linebacker returns to Los Angeles.

The Chargers appear to be adding a veteran presence—and a familiar name to Los Angeles-area football fans—to their linebacking corps.

Los Angeles has agreed to sign linebacker Eric Kendricks, according to a Monday evening post on his Instagram. Per a report from ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry, the contract is for two years. 

“Back in LA .. Bolt Up!” He wrote in the caption with lightning bolt emojis.

Kendricks has spent the entirety of his eight-year career with the Vikings, with whom he made a Pro Bowl and the All-Pro team in 2019. His 579 career solo tackles rank 10th among active players and eighth in Minnesota franchise history.

The Vikings drafted Kendricks 45th overall out of UCLA in 2015. He won the Dick Butkus Award with the Bruins as the nation’s best linebacker in ’14, the first UCLA player to win that award. He now joins a defense that has finished 20th or lower in points allowed per game in each of the past three seasons.