COSTA MESA, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers players cleaned out their lockers Monday morning at the team facility and officially left for an offseason rife with unknowns.
It was a busy day. Midfielder Justin Herbert spoke for the first time since season-ending finger surgery. Receiver Mike Williams gave an update on his recovery from his ACL. Center Corey Linsley addressed his football future.
Lots to reach. Here's the Baggie Day notebook, with everything you need to know from the Chargers' final media availability for the 2023 season.
Linsley will likely retire
Linsley was placed on the non-football illness list on September 29 due to what the Chargers described as a “non-emergency cardiac medical issue.” That was five days after Linsley played one of the best games of his Chargers career in a 28-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3. He never played again. On Monday, Linsley revealed what had seemed likely all season: A Minnesota win would almost certainly be his last NFL game.
Linsley said there is a “99 percent” chance he will retire this season. He added that the medical condition is “serious enough that playing football puts me at risk of further complications.”
Linsley didn't want to get into the specific details of his case, but provided a general timeline. In May, he underwent an ablation to deal with an arrhythmia that ran in his family. He met with doctors in the summer and they allowed him to return to football. However, once he started playing, Linsley said he didn't feel like himself. He was dealing with “various symptoms.” This led to him undergoing another examination, and it was then that doctors discovered the current problem.
“I kind of weighed all the risks,” Linsley said. “Then in the coming weeks, we came to the decision where it was like, 'Okay, we can roll the dice here, but, especially in the long term, I don't think that's fair to my kids or my family.'
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Linsley has lost a lot of weight since he stopped playing in September. He said it was part of the initial “plan” for dealing with the diagnosis.
“Being 300 pounds is probably not healthy in general,” Linsley said. “This did not help the case.”
Linsley said his next decision will come six months after the diagnosis. “So that would put me around March,” he said.
I know there will be many questions about the salary cap implications of Linsley's impending retirement, but I want to state this first: Linsley is an exceptional football player, and it has been a pleasure covering him. He will become one of the best centers of his time. He elevated all of his teammates in every way – with his intelligence, awareness, run blocking, pass protection, strength, technique, style of play, all of it. I learned something new every time I spoke with him, whether it was conversations about the nitty gritty of double teams or broader ideas of building culture. Football will lose a true representative of what it means to play and love the sport.
If Linsley retires, the Chargers would free up $8.9 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap. They will bear his remaining prorated signing bonus — $5.2 million — as a dead money fee. Linsley technically still has two years left on his deal, but he doesn't have any guaranteed salary remaining. If Linsley delays his official retirement decision until after the new league year, March 13, there is a possibility the Chargers could release him. The maximum savings will be the same in this case. Linsley could also be eligible for the injury protection benefit, which would add $1.23 million to his cap hit for 2024, according to the NFL's collective bargaining agreement.
Allen wants the Chargers to retire
Receiver Keenan Allen missed the final four games of the regular season with a heel injury. He set a career-high in catches with 108. He finished 150 yards shy of his career-high in receiving yards and one touchdown shy of his career-high in TDs.
When asked how close he was to making a comeback at the end of this season, Allen said: “There was no chance of the playoffs, so it was just kind of a prayer thing for us not to get hurt. Maybe they could have been in a playoff game or something.” “The tribe. Maybe they could have fought through.”
Allen is part of a group of high-ticket veterans facing an uncertain future as the Chargers conduct their search for a new head coach and general manager. Allen is set to make a cap hit of $34.72 million in 2024, according to Over the Cap, after the Chargers restructured his contract last season. Allen is aware of the cap concerns. However, he had this to say about his future with the organization: “I don't want to go anywhere else.”
Keenan Allen wants to retire as a Charger, but it may not be that simple. (Harry Howe/Getty Images)
Allen played all 11 of his NFL seasons with the Chargers. He was one of former general manager Tom Telesco's first picks in 2013. Telesco was fired along with coach Brandon Staley last month.
The reality is that Allen may face the reality of ending his career with another team. The Chargers could free up cap space by cutting or trading Allen this offseason. They can also create space by extending Allen. Allen admitted he would be open to playing for “a select few” teams that give him a chance to win a Super Bowl.
Allen will be the pick if the Chargers release him and he becomes a free agent. However, if the Chargers trade Allen, he won't have as much control. When asked about this specific trade scenario, Allen said: “I don't play for a team I don't want to play for. It is what it is. I've been playing this game long enough. I'm kind of consistent on that side. If it comes to that… Goodbye, friends.
Williams is on the way back
Williams tore his ACL in Week 3. He missed the rest of the season. He said Monday he's “a little ahead” of schedule, though he wouldn't provide a target date for when he expects to return to the field.
“But that will be soon,” he added.
Williams is in a similar situation to Allen. Williams is scheduled to make a cap hit of $32.46 million in 2024, according to Over the Cap. When asked if he wanted to play for the Chargers next season, Williams said: “Yes, Fu Shu.” Why not?”
This may not be his decision. Williams' contract will likely be harder to trade than Allen's simply because Williams is coming off a major injury.
“I feel like all of this stuff is going to go away on its own,” Williams said. “I don't really think about it too much. That's going to happen no matter what the situation is. My main focus is just getting back on track.”
He added: “There are a lot of things you can't really control. So, it's not something I can really control, who we bring in, who the GM is going to be, the head coach and the guys that want to be a part of this team. But I know what I'm capable of. I know I will come back stronger, faster and better after these injuries. So I have to focus on what I can focus on, which means I come back better.
Herbert on his finger, training to search
Herbert broke his right index finger in a Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos, and underwent surgery to repair the fracture on December 12. He's now about a month removed from surgery, and said Monday he hopes to resume throwing in “maybe a month or so.”
“I think that's the goal, is to make this better, make sure we're OK,” Herbert said. “And once we are, it will be normal, hopefully, this year.”
Herbert also fractured his left middle finger in Week 4. He played through that injury. Herbert said Monday that he does not need surgery for the fracture. “This person has healed well,” he said.
Herbert should be at the forefront of the Spanos family's minds as they search for their next head coach and general manager. When asked Monday for his thoughts on what the organization needs in its next leadership system, Herbert said: “I hope I can talk to (ownership) and offer any advice I have. Having been in the league for four years, I hope I can get better by understanding and seeing things as it is.
Some final notes…
• Austin Ekeler is scheduled to become a free agent in March. When asked if he expects to be back with the Chargers next season, Ekeler said: “I have no idea. No idea. I haven't even started thinking about it yet because there's a lot of planning.”
Ekeler added that he's “not closing any doors” on the Chargers. But he also admitted that moving forward is “definitely a possibility.”
• Edge rusher Khalil Mack, who has a franchise-record 17 sacks this season, said his desire to win a Super Bowl will influence his approach “in a big way” this season. However, he stopped short of saying that he would look for that opportunity with another team.
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“Just knowing what this team means to me now, I don't want to phrase it as a guy looking for opportunities elsewhere yet,” Mack said.
Mack still has one year remaining on his contract, but is set to make a cap hit of $38.52 million in 2024, according to Over the Cap. As with Allen, prisoner releases, trade, and expansion are all routes the new regime could take with Mack.
• Rushed Joey Boza has not spoken to the media. He is scheduled to make a cap hit of $36.61 million in 2024. He has two years remaining on his deal. Bosa is a candidate to be cut or traded this offseason as well.
(Top Photo by Corey Linsley: John McGillin/The Associated Press)
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