Chargers Surprisingly Release Veteran Safety Tony Jefferson

Matt Levine | Aug 29, 2024

The Los Angeles Chargers made the surprising decision to release veteran safety Tony Jefferson on Thursday. NFL insider Ian Rapoport was among the first to break the news of the release on social media.

He is expected to join their practice squad.

The #Chargers are releasing veteran S Tony Jefferson, source says, as the roster juggling continues. He’s expected to join their practice squad.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2024

Jefferson came out of retirement to join the Bolts this offseason so the decision is a little strange. The veteran may elect to re-enter retirement if he can't be part of the main Chargers roster.

He had just put together a strong performance in the Bolts' preseason finale. He put up 14 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack to help the Chargers get the win.

After the game, head coach Jim Harbaugh was very praiseful of Jefferson for his performance.

"A sack, forced fumble, two interceptions, [14] tackles. I've always had great respect for him, admiration for him and he played for my brother [in Baltimore]...it was great to see him do so well tonight."

It took Jefferson a minute to get up to speed with how the Chargers do everything but his performance in the preseason likely would have been enough to make the team. The Bolts could use his presence in the secondary, making this decision an odd one.

Jefferson even was happy with his play after the game. He wanted to be a leader for the group of guys on the field and did just that.

"I talked to the defense last night and said, from a safety perspective, that this was a game for us to be active and get after it," Jefferson said. "I missed last week — had a hamstring — and just felt healthy and got back in a groove.

Being on the practice squad, Jefferson could be called up at any time. This could just be the case of roster gymnastics that teams do and Jefferson likely will see some game action.

Harbaugh likely doesn't want the decision of Jefferson to un-retire to be in vain, especially when he was productive in the preseason. The veteran has played for the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, San Francisco 49ers, and New York Giants during his career.

He worked for the Ravens as a scouting intern in the front office before coming out of retirement this offseason. Jefferson has accumulated 492 total tackles, 9.5 sacks, and four interceptions over his long NFL career.

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