Chargers News: Updated Cap Space Places Bolts Near Top of Entire NFL

The Chargers have money to spend.

Dec 11, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; The Los Angeles Chargers bolt logo at midfield before the / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Entering the 2024 offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers were among the teams with the worst cap space in the league. In fact, they had the third-worst cap situation in the league before the new league year commenced.

That has felt like a long time ago now. According to Spotrac, the Chargers now have the sixth-best cap space situation in the league. Spotrac shared via X.

Updated Top 51 #NFL Cap Space

NE, $47M
WSH, $43M
TEN, $34M
PHI, $32M
LAC, $31M
ARI, $29M
DET, $27M
KC, $26M
LV, $25M
CIN, $24M
CHI, $23M
GB, $21M
DEN, $18M
MIN, $17M
IND, $17M
LAR, $15M
PIT, $13M
JAX, $12M
BAL, $12M
HOU, $12M
NO, $9M
NYG, $8M
SF, $7M
ATL, $7M
DAL, $6M
MIA, $5M…

— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 3, 2024

The only teams ahead of the Bolts are the Eagles, Titans, Bills, Commanders and Patriots. They sit at $31 million in cap space.

Now, this change didn't happen without any hardships. First, the Bolts restructured the contracts of defensive superstars Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa. Mack has been tremendous for the Chargers, having his best individual season since his 2016 Defensive Player of the Year season.

As for Bosa, he has had his fair share of injuries, especially in the last two seasons. He's played a combined 14 games and has only collected 22 solo tackles, nine tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and nine sacks. The four-time Pro Bowler will look for a bounce-back season with a new regime at the helm. The other moves the Chargers made weren't any better but necessary.

The Bolts released star wide receiver Mike Williams. The Chargers needed to get rid of some money, and moving Williams' contract was the obvious move. He was set to count $32 million against the 2024 salary cap, and this month cleared up $20 million from the team's books. The move that devastated all Chargers fans was when they traded away Pro Bowl wide receiver Keenan Allen.

The Allen trade was quite a shock, and because of it, it has stirred up a ton of drama between Allen, his team, and the Chargers brass. The 31-year-old was traded to the Chicago Bears after he refused to restructure his contract. The Chargers will look much different, at least on the offensive side. The team now has the opportunity to bring in new players who could take this Charger team to the next level.