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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Patriots Made Late Push For Joe Thuney

March 28th, 2021 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Before Joe Thuney left for the Chiefs, the Patriots made a late push to keep him in New England, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. In addition, the Bengals and Chargers were also in on the standout guard. 

[RELATED: Chiefs Sign Joe Thuney]

The Patriots shocked everyone by tagging Thuney last year. This time around, they opted against cuffing him again at a 20% increase, but they still tried to keep him with a multi-year offer. Ultimately, the Chiefs won out – they were the first team to put an offer on the table for Thuney and it proved to be the most lucrative of the bunch. The longtime starter is now tied to Kansas City for five years at a whopping $80MM. The first two years are fully guaranteed at $32.5MM. Meanwhile, Year 3 goes from guaranteed-for-injury to 100% guaranteed in 2022, so $48MM of the deal is effectively locked in. Thuney didn’t come cheap, but he’ll help to fortify a line that has lost starting tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.

When Thuney went elsewhere, the Bengals pivoted towards lower cost moves, such as re-signing guard Quinton Spain. Unless they make a splashier signing like veteran Nick Easton, they’ll probably look to find a starter early on in the draft. Meanwhile, the Chargers managed to ink All-Pro center Corey Linsley and versatile lineman Matt Feiler, so Justin Herbert should be well protected.

In addition to those aforementioned teams, the Jets also tried to land Thuney. He’s long been a target of Gang Green – they were planning to make a big push for him last year, too, up until the Patriots kept him from the open market.

Chargers, Chase Daniel Agree To Deal

March 26th, 2021 at 8:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chase Daniel will make his way to Los Angeles to mentor the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year. The Chargers agreed to terms with the veteran backup on Friday night, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a one-year agreement.

Recently released by the Lions, Daniel will move to his sixth NFL team and work as Justin Herbert‘s backup. Daniel was with the Bears during Brandon Staley‘s final season in Chicago (2018). Being quite well traveled, Daniel also has a history with new Bolts OC Joe Lombardi. Daniel worked with Lombardi during both his Saints stints.

The University of Missouri product has been one of the most financially successful backup quarterbacks ever, and despite being set for his age-35 season, Daniel has remained a coveted QB2. The Lions signed him to a three-year, $13.1MM accord in 2020 and used him at points. The Lions attempted to trade their backup but ended up releasing him. Now, Daniel and Matthew Stafford are each L.A.-bound.

Daniel has remained a viable passer despite having never started more than two games in a season. The former Heisman finalist has only started two games in just one of his 12 NFL seasons (2018, when a Mitchell Trubisky injury thrust his backup into action). Over his career, Daniel is a 68% passer. But that total has come on just 261 attempts.

He will step into the role Tyrod Taylor vacated. Brought in to be Philip Rivers‘ backup in 2019, Taylor entered the 2020 season as the Chargers’ starter. However, a pregame injection mishap began the Herbert era in Week 2 of last season. Taylor has since signed with the Texans.

Chargers Sign OLB Kyler Fackrell

March 24th, 2021 at 5:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kyler Fackrell will make his way to a third team in three seasons. The veteran edge defender signed with the Chargers on Wednesday.

Formerly a four-year Packer, Fackrell played the 2020 season with the Giants. He started nine games and recorded four sacks and a pick-six with Big Blue, but he will head west ahead of his sixth NFL season.

A third-round Packers pick in 2016, Fackrell mostly served as a rotational rusher in Green Bay. However, he did record a career-high 10.5 sacks despite playing the off-the-bench role in 2018. That season, which did include seven starts, helped lead Fackrell to New York. He signed a one-year, $4.6MM deal with the Giants in 2020. While the 29-year-old defender spent some time on IR last season due to a calf injury, he returned for Week 17 and played 12 games with New York.

The Chargers have some questions at their edge spots. The five-year Joey Bosa–Melvin Ingram partnership may be disbanding, with Ingram taking free agency visits. Ingram was a Charger for nine seasons but played out his contract last season, which came after the former first-round pick attempted to secure a new deal. With Bosa signed to a defender-record $27MM-AAV pact, the Chargers are unlikely to pay up at the other edge-rushing spot.

Colts To Sign OL Sam Tevi

March 22nd, 2021 at 8:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Following the retirement of Anthony Castonzo, the Colts have been seeking a new left tackle. The organization has added one potential replacement, as NFL.coms’ Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Indy has signed offensive lineman Sam Tevi.

The 2017 sixth-round pick out of Utah had spent his entire four-year career with the Chargers, including three seasons as a full-time starter. After starting 29 of his 30 games at right tackle between the 2018 and 2019 seasons, Tevi started 14 games at left tackle in 2020. He finished the season having appeared in a career-high 1,025 snaps (87 percent of the Chargers’ offensive possessions).

The Colts have been relatively busy looking for players to protect Carson Wentz‘s blindside. We learned last week that the team was hosting free agent lineman Julie’n Davenport.

As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes, the Chargers will likely turn to Storm Norton to replace Tevi’s spot in the lineup. The 26-year-old joined the organization last summer, and he proceeded to appear in six games (with three starts).

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/22/21

March 22nd, 2021 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Los Angeles Chargers

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/20/21

March 20th, 2021 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the minor moves from Day 4 of official free agency:

Arizona Cardinals

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

San Francisco 49ers

 

Chargers Sign OL Oday Aboushi

March 20th, 2021 at 3:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Oday Aboushi will make his way to a sixth team. The veteran offensive lineman signed with the Chargers on Saturday, the team has since announced. It’s a one-year, $1.75MM deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Primarily a guard, Aboushi has been used as a starter and a backup throughout his career. This includes eight starts with the Lions last season. In between being drafted by the Jets and his two-year Lions stay, Aboushi also played for the Texans, Seahawks and Cardinals.

While Aboushi has never started more than 10 games in a season, he did open all eight of the games he played last season as a first-string Lion. Pro Football Focus gave the ex-Virginia Cavalier a top-30 grade among guards for his work. Overall, Aboushi has started 42 games in eight seasons. The 2021 season will be Aboushi’s age-30 campaign.

Aboushi represents the latest in a string of Bolts offensive line investments. He will follow All-Pro center Corey Linsley in going from the NFC North to Los Angeles, and ex-Steelers starter Matt Feiler committed to join the Bolts as well.

The Chargers are retooling up front. Mike Pouncey‘s retirement preceded the release of Pro Bowl guard Trai Turner and the free agency defection (to the Jets) of fellow guard starter Dan Feeney. The Bolts should still be expected to address their O-line in the draft and may continue to do so in free agency, but Aboushi — despite this low-end contract — may have a path to Los Angeles’ starting lineup.

Chargers To Sign Jared Cook

March 18th, 2021 at 12:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Tight end news is just flying in, and this time it’s the Chargers finding a replacement for Hunter Henry. Los Angeles has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran Jared Cook, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The pact has a max value of $6MM, Schefter notes. The deal comes with $4.5MM guaranteed, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Cook’s last contract was worth $15.5MM over two years with the Saints, so he’s taking a bit of a pay cut for this season.

It’s a nice signing for the Chargers after they lost Henry to the Patriots on a massive deal, and Cook was one of the bigger name players left on the board. Cook is 33 now, but has remained an effective pass-catcher over the middle. This will now be the sixth team in Cook’s career that started as a third-round pick of the Titans back in 2009.

From Tennessee he made his way to the Rams, then the Packers, then the Raiders (where he had his best season in 2018), and finally the Saints the past two years. His production dipped a bit in 2020, but he still had 504 yards and seven touchdowns despite Drew Brees missing a handful of games and failing to push the ball downfield in others.

He was a Pro Bowler each of the previous two seasons in 2018 and 2019. In 2018 with the Raiders he had 896 yards and six touchdowns, and 705 yards and nine touchdowns the following year with New Orleans. Los Angeles had been linked to the Zach Ertz talks as a possible trade partner, but this now likely takes them out of the running there.

With Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Austin Ekeler all still in the fold, Justin Herbert will once again have a very solid group of weapons as he enters his sophomore campaign. The Chargers have also upgraded his offensive line big time, so watch out for this offense in 2021.

NFL Contract Details: Bolts, Griffin, Broncos

March 16th, 2021 at 3:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the tampering period in full swing, here are some of the latest contract details to emerge:

  • Chargers C Corey Linsley: Five years, $62.5MM. $26MM guaranteed, $13MM signing bonus. Linsley is due $26MM through 2022, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Linsley’s 2021 base salary ($4MM) is fully guaranteed. His 2022 base salary ($9MM) is guaranteed for injury at signing; it becomes fully guaranteed if he is on the Bolts’ roster on Day 2 of the 2022 league year, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • Jaguars CB Shaquill Griffin: Three years, $40MM. $23.5MM fully guaranteed, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. $12MM signing bonus, base salaries of $1MM, $11.5MM and $11.5MM. Griffin is due a $1MM roster bonus in 2023, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Lions DE Romeo Okwara: Three years, $39MM. $14MM signing bonus, $20MM fully guaranteed. Another $5MM will be guaranteed by next March, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter).
  • Broncos DL Shelby Harris: Three years, $27MM. $9MM signing bonus. Harris’ $1MM 2021 base salary and $5.5MM of his $7.5MM 2022 base are guaranteed, Wilson tweets.
  • Patriots DB Jalen Mills: Four years, $24MM. $2.5MM signing bonus, $3MM base salary in 2021, $4.5MM in ’22. Williams will have $3.5MM of his 2022 base salary fully guaranteed, Breer tweets.
  • Panthers OL Cameron Erving: Two years, $10MM. This contract includes base salaries of $990K and $2.01MM, with Wilson tweeting a March 2022 roster bonus of $2.5MM is guaranteed.
  • 49ers CB Jason Verrett: One year, $5.5MM. $2MM signing bonus, $2.5MM base salary, $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. Another $1MM is available via incentives, Yates tweets.

Chargers To Sign OL Matt Feiler

March 15th, 2021 at 7:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minutes after Bud Dupree agreed to terms with the Titans, the Steelers will lose another of their free agents. Matt Feiler agreed to terms with the Chargers on Monday night, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The four-year veteran will sign a three-year, $21MM agreement with the Bolts. Feiler has worked as a Steelers starter for the past three years.

This move comes hours after the Chargers agreed to terms with Corey Linsley on a center-record contract. Feiler figures to have a spot on the Bolts’ starting O-line as well. Where he lands will be interesting. Feiler has seen time at both tackle and guard, taking over for Marcus Gilbert at right tackle and spending time on Pittsburgh’s interior line as well. Pro Football Focus graded Feiler as a middling guard starter last season but has charted him as an upper-echelon lineman throughout his career.

With Los Angeles, Feiler’s spot would seem to be guard. The Chargers paid up for Bryan Bulaga at right tackle last year. They just cut guard Trai Turner and have fellow guard Dan Feeney set for free agency. Feiler’s position notwithstanding, he represents more resources thrown into protecting Justin Herbert going forward.

The Steelers have brought back B.J. Finney but have some major questions up front going forward. They have now lost Feiler and perennial Pro Bowler Maurkice Pouncey, and left tackle Alejandro Villanueva may well be on his way out as well.

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