The Los Angeles Chargers have plenty of work to do this offseason.
Stealing Jim Harbaugh away from the University of Michigan to succeed the often baffling Brandon Staley at head coach was merely the start of an overhaul. Harbaugh’s first season at the helm will be the backdrop to plenty of roster moves. Though some of these decisions will be aimed at improving a 5-12 team, many others will attempt to untangle a roster that’s currently an estimated $35.5 million over the 2024 NFL salary cap.
How did a five-win team with a relatively inexpensive quarterback wind up here? Former general manager Tom Telesco doled out contracts and made trades that left the Chargers with four of the top 20 largest salary cap hits scheduled for the upcoming season.
Los Angeles isn’t the only team that will have to navigate massive icebergs as it plots a course toward contention. The Kansas City Chiefs owe Patrick Mahomes the third largest cap hit in the league this season — a price they’d happily pay after three Super Bowl parades in western Missouri. The two quarterbacks ahead of him, however, have three total playoff wins between them in 14 combined seasons in the league.
So who is set to soak up the most salary cap space as the 2024 offseason prepares to drop into gear? Here are the 20 most expensive players to wedge onto a roster for the upcoming season.
All contract data comes from Spotrac.
20
QB Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $31,200,000
19
WR Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $31,323,750
18
LT Trent Williams, San Francisco 49ers
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $31,524,638
17
QB Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $31,650,064
16
QB Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $32,400,000
15
WR Mike Williams, Los Angeles Chargers
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $32,460,000
14
DT Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $34,166,666
13
WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $34,717,500
12
QB Russell Wilson, Denver Broncos
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $35,400,000
11
QB Derek Carr, New Orleans Saints
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $35,700,000
10
EDGE Joey Bosa, Los Angeles Chargers
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $36,611,666
9
EDGE Khalil Mack, Los Angeles Chargers
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $38,517,500
8
LT David Bakhtiari, Green Bay Packers
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $39,994,925
7
QB Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $47,056,281
6
QB Daniel Jones, New York Giants
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $47,105,000
5
QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $49,500,000
4
QB Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $51,857,000
3
QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $58,608,269
2
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $59,455,000
1
QB Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Scheduled 2024 cap hit: $63,977,000
