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Los Angeles Chargers News & Rumors

Chargers To Meet With QB Geno Smith

March 28th, 2018 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Giants and Jets quarterback Geno Smith will visit the Chargers on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport adds that Bolts head coach Anthony Lynn has been a fan of Smith in the past. 

Another former Jet – Kellen Clemens – served as Philip Rivers‘ primary backup last season. As it stands, Cardale Jones is the only other quarterback on the Chargers’ depth chart. While Jones has potential, the Chargers are looking for an experienced QB to play behind Rivers.

Smith, a second-round pick in the 2013 draft, has had a rocky NFL tenure to say the least. After two unsuccessful seasons under center for New York, he missed the overwhelming majority of the 2015 season after teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw in a locker room brawl.

Smith spent the following season holding the clipboard for Ryan Fitzpatrick before hooking on with the Giants last year. In an extremely controversial move, the Giants started Smith in a December contest against the Raiders. After his two-fumble game, the Giants reinstated Eli Manning as the starter and fired their coach and GM.

Despite all of his warts, Lynn believes that Smith could be a capable No. 2 QB for the Chargers.

Chargers Won't Release DT Corey Liuget

March 27th, 2018 at 9:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson
  • After being suspended four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy, Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget is not in danger of being released, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, who adds Los Angeles will not seek to restructure Liuget’s contract. Liuget, 28, is slated to earn $8MM for the upcoming season, so he’ll lose out on $2MM in base salary. The former first-round pick appeared in 12 games in 2017, posting 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks while grading as the NFL’s No. 32 interior run defender, per Pro Football Focus. Liuget was especially proficient as a pass rusher, as his 81.8 grade ranked 15th among defensive tackles

Chargers DL Corey Liuget Suspended

March 23rd, 2018 at 3:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Chargers defensive tackle Corey Liuget has been suspended four games for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drug policy, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Liuget, 28, is slated to earn $8MM for the upcoming season, so he’ll lose out on $2MM in base salary. The former first-round pick appeared in 12 games in 2017, posting 15 tackles and 1.5 sacks while grading as the NFL’s No. 32 interior run defender, per Pro Football Focus. Liuget was especially proficient as a pass rusher, as his 81.8 grade ranked 15th among defensive tackles.

With Liuget out of the picture for the first quarter of the year, Los Angeles could turn to internal options such as Darius Philon, Damion Square, or Kaleb Eulls to fill in through September. Alternatively, the Chargers could add defensive tackle in the draft, or add a free agent such as Johnathan Hankins, Bennie Logan, Shamar Stephen, or Quinton Dial.

13 Teams Watched Johnny Manziel At USD Pro Day

March 22nd, 2018 at 6:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former NFL quarterback Johnny Manziel threw passes at Thursday’s University of San Diego pro day, and 14 NFL clubs were on hand to watch him perform, reports Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The Bears, Browns, Chargers, Giants, Chiefs, Jets, Patriots, Raiders, Titans, Lions, Jaguars, Panthers and Buccaneers, were all present at today’s workout, per Williams. Of course, those clubs weren’t necessarily in town just to see Manziel, as USD had its own prospects on the field.

Manziel was thought to be interested in working out a deal to play in the Canadian Football League during the 2018 campaign, and was in fact offered a contract by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in January. However, Manziel and his team reportedly weren’t pleased with the terms of the pact, and he’s now scheduled to play in the upcoming Spring League. The former first-round pick is reportedly amenable to a minimum salary or a practice squad slot.

Manziel is still only 25 years old, but he hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former Heisman trophy winner completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

Mike Pouncey Signs 2-Year Deal With Chargers

March 19th, 2018 at 4:14pm CST by Ryan Posner

The Chargers announced Tuesday that they’ve agreed to a two-year deal with Mike Pouncey after the three-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman visited the team’s facility earlier in the day. The visit with the Chargers was the first for Pouncey with another team since he requested and was granted his release from the Dolphins last week.

The Chargers are set to give Pouncey $15MM over the two-year deal, with $10MM guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Pouncey certainly serves as an upgrade to the Chargers’ interior offensive line, with Spencer Pulley and second-year guard Dan Feeney previously set to return at center and right guard, respectively. They also lost versatile offensive lineman Kenny Wiggins to the Lions in free agency this offseason.

Matt Slauson, who started seven games at left guard for the Chargers last year before a biceps injury cut his season short, is an unrestricted free agent and has already visited with the Lions, with a visit scheduled Tuesday with the Colts, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Colts had also reportedly shown interest in Pouncey.

The Dolphins and Pouncey parted ways last week after drafting him with the 15th overall pick of the 2011 draft out of Florida. He battled a hip injury last season but still managed to start all 16 games for the third time in his career. He was graded as the No. 25 center in the NFL out of qualifiers last season, according to Pro Football Focus. Hip injuries have hampered Pouncey throughout his career and held him to just five games in 2016 before being placed on injured reserve.

The Dolphins signed Pouncey to a five-year $52.15MM extension back in 2015 but he was one of the team’s numerous cuts as part of an effort to reduce their cap number. Some of those other releases included defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh, linebacker Lawrence Timmons and tight end Julius Thomas. The Dolphins cleared $9MM in cap space, with $2MM in dead cap, by releasing Pouncey.

[RELATED: Chargers Depth Chart]

AFC Contract Details: Crabtree, Williamson

March 19th, 2018 at 1:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are figures on some of the recent contracts signed around the NFL, with all links going to Twitter unless noted otherwise.

Pouncey Visit To Last Into Monday

March 18th, 2018 at 6:07pm CST by Micah Powell
  • Sticking with Pouncey, it was reported earlier in the week that he would take his first visit to meet with the Chargers on Sunday. That meeting is expected to be an extended one that will last through Monday and include a physical, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets. The Buccaneers and Colts have also shown interest in the center, but Tampa Bay could be more content now after signing Ryan Jensen to the richest deal for a center in NFL history.

Chargers To Sign K Caleb Sturgis

March 16th, 2018 at 4:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers are expected to sign former Eagles kicker Caleb Sturgis, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Eagles had interest in re-signing him, but he’s headed to sunny Los Angeles instead.

The Chargers were on the lookout for a new kicker this year and also considered former Raider Sebastian Janikowski. Sturgis is more than a decade younger, but both are coming off of lost seasons. Janikowski didn’t kick at all while Sturgis’ Week 1 hip injury knocked him out of action for the rest of the year.

The Bolts ran through four kickers last season and they’re hoping to use just one – Sturgis – in 2018.

Chargers To Meet With Mike Pouncey

March 16th, 2018 at 3:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Dolphins center Mike Pouncey will visit the Chargers on Saturday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This marks Pouncey’s first free agent visit since being released by Miami. 

Pouncey, one of the better known centers in the NFL, has been plagued by hip issues in recent years. He did not miss any games last season, but it was obvious that he was not at full strength and he struggled as a result.

Miami asked Pouncey to accept a 50% pay reduction, which he declined. That would have left Pouncey with about $4.5MM in 2018 and he felt that he could do better. Given that at least 13 NFL centers are currently making more than that on a yearly basis, Pouncey is probably right in that regard.

The Chargers recently lost versatile interior lineman Kenny Wiggins to free agency and they could use an upgrade in the middle over 2016 UDFA Spencer Pulley. Pulley graded out as one of the very worst qualified centers in the NFL last year, according to Pro Football Focus. Still, the Chargers will have to take a very close look at Pouncey’s medicals due to his hip issues.

On Thursday, the Buccaneers also reached out to Pouncey to express their interest.

Seahawks, Chargers Eyeing Caleb Sturgis

March 15th, 2018 at 9:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent kicker Caleb Sturgis met with the Seahawks on Thursday and will take a visit with the Chargers on Friday, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Los Angeles is certainly in need of a new kicker this offseason, as the club deployed four different kickers in 2017 without much success. The Chargers have already met with former Raiders K Sebastian Janikowski, so they’re looking at all available options. Seattle, meanwhile, signed Jason Myers — who has a 36 games worth of experience — to a futures deal earlier this year, but Sturgis could represent an upgrade.

Sturgis, for his part, barely played last season, as he suffered a hip injury in Week 1 of the Eagles’ season. Jake Elliott experienced success as Sturgis’ replacement in Philadelphia, so a reunion between the Eagles and Sturgis doesn’t seem possible. Sturgis, 28, owns a career field goal percentage of 81.0 over parts of five NFL campaigns.

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