Los Angeles Chargers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Chargers, King Dunlap Agree To Extension

February 25th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

WEDNESDAY: Dunlap will earn $9MM in the first year, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

TUESDAY: Dunlap’s extension contains $13MM in guaranteed money, $6.5MM of which comes in the form of a signing bonus, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

FRIDAY: The Chargers and left tackle King Dunlap have agreed to a four-year extension, according to the team (Twitter link). The deal is worth $28MM, per the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gelhken, and will keep Dunlap from hitting the free agent market March 10.

Dunlap, 30, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Eagles before signing with the Chargers in 2013. He has appeared in and started 27 regular-season games for the Bolts, emerging as their most dependable offensive lineman. Dunlap’s teammates named him San Diego’s Lineman of the Year in 2014 and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated him the 23rd-best tackle in the league out of 84 qualifiers. That followed an even more impressive sixth overall ranking in 2013.

With Dunlap staying in San Diego, a shallow class of upcoming free agent left tackles becomes that much weaker. The only established unsigned starter at the position is Tennessee’s Michael Roos. However, according to Joe Fann of the Titans’ official website, Roos was contemplating retirement as recently as December.

Combining the lack of suitable veteran replacements for Dunlap with his strong play, the fact that he chose to re-sign in San Diego is clearly a boon to the organization and Philip Rivers. The quarterback heaped praise on Dunlap last season, in fact. “He’s been awesome,” Rivers said, according to the Union-Tribune’s Mark Inabinett. “A guy like that, left tackles aren’t just walking around a dime a dozen.”

The return of Dunlap will also benefit his fellow O-linemen, of course, especially in the wake of offseason retirements by Charger mainstays Nick Hardwick and Jeromey Clary. Those two joined the Bolts in 2006 and combined to make 229 starts during their nine-year careers. With them out of the picture, Dunlap becomes the elder statesman of a line that Pro Football Focus ranked fourth worst in the league last season.

Even after signing Dunlap, the Chargers have a fair amount of cap room to address other areas of concern. The website OverTheCap.com listed San Diego’s space upward of $27MM prior to its move to re-up Dunlap. The Chargers have decisions to make on some of their other key free agents – namely cornerback Brandon Flowers, wide receiver Eddie Royal and running back Ryan Mathews – as well as upgrades to make elsewhere.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jarret Johnson Announces Retirement

February 25th, 2015 at 4:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 4:28pm: The Chargers have officially cut the retired Johnson from their roster, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: Longtime edge defender Jarret Johnson has announced his retirement today via an Instagram post. A veteran of 12 NFL seasons, the 33-year-old Johnson spent the first nine years of his career with the Ravens before joining the Chargers in 2012. His statement reads:

“Today I am announcing my retirement from the game I love. I lived a dream which few can say but it’s time to move on. I want to thank the Chargers organization for giving me a home these past three years. I have nothing but respect for the players, coaches, front office staff and fans that were apart of me and my families lives. It’s been a great ride!! I also want to thank my Baltimore family. Where I leaned to be a pro and conduct yourself like a warrior on the field. Where I spent 9 of the best years of my life.”

Originally a fourth-round pick in the 2003 draft, Johnson eventually started 132 games in his career, racking up 349 tackles and 25.5 sacks. His best season came in 2009, when he started all 16 games, picking six sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Johnson displayed valuable versatility during his career, lining up at both outside linebacker and on the defensive line. And for what it’s worth, he was always regarded as a team leader in both Baltimore and San Diego.

Johnson was entering the final season of his contract. The Chargers will free up $5MM in cap space due to his retirement, but will carry $2.5MM in dead money. Johnson becomes the third notable Charger to retire this offseason, following offensive lineman Jeromey Clary and Nick Hardwick.

Extra Points: DeVito, L.A., Garcon, NFLPA

February 25th, 2015 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While hundreds of NFL writers will submit mock drafts within the next two months, few are more plugged in than Peter King of TheMMQB.com, whose first mock draft of the year lends credence to the idea that the Eagles have real interest in Marcus Mariota. King’s mock has the Eagles pulling off a trade with Washington to move up to the No. 5 spot and nab Mariota — Philadelphia gives up its first- and second-round picks this year, along with its first- and fourth-round picks for 2016, in the hypothetical swap.

Here’s more miscellany from around the NFL:

The Chiefs are expected to ask defensive lineman Mike DeVito to take a pay cut, reports Conor Orr of NFL.com. DeVito, who is set to earn a base salary of $3.75MM with a 2015 cap number of $5.4MM, could be cut by Kansas City if he decides he doesn’t want to accept a reduced salary.
As Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times reported late last night (via Twitter), Inglewood’s City Council unanimously approved Stan Kroenke‘s Hollywood Park stadium project. By approving the project, the Inglewood City Council can skip a couple steps, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk explains. City officials can now avoid putting the stadium proposal up for a public vote, and can avoid “potentially lengthy” environmental reviews. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) notes that Carson officials are expected to do the same thing with the Raiders/Chargers‘ stadium proposal.
There have been “zero talks” about Pierre Garcon‘s contract between his camp and the Washington front office, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That doesn’t mean discussions won’t happen at some point, but Keim notes there’s been nothing yet to indicate that any sort of move involving Garcon is coming.
An already crowded field got even more crowded today, as former NFL player Sean Morey emerged as the latest candidate to become executive director of the NFLPA, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
The latest MMQB.com piece from ex-Packers executive Andrew Brandt touches on a handful of interesting topics, as Brandt explores the L.A. issue, notes the different between a contract restructure and a pay cut, and points out that salary cap flexibility can often be created fairly easily.

AFC West Notes: Rivers, Cobb, Chargers

February 24th, 2015 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The expectation around the NFL is that the Raiders will make a run at wide receiver Randall Cobb, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com tweets. However, the Packers aren’t expected to let him hit the open market, so they might not even get the chance to pursue him. A look at the AFC West..

The uncertainty of where the Chargers might end up playing doesn’t figure to have major implications on Philip Rivers as he ponders signing with the team beyond 2015, Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes. “Is the location of this team going to be a deciding factor? I can’t honestly tell you that it will be,” Rivers told Darren Smith of The Mighty 1090. “Is it a factor at all? Sure, but I can’t tell you that it’s at the top of the list, because it’s just really not. That goes without saying I hope we’re staying. But should we move, it doesn’t move to the top of my list for deterrents for not being a Charger.” Rivers is entering final year of a deal that will pay him $15.75MM in base salary and count more than $17MM against the salary cap. Chargers GM Tom Telesco said earlier this year he wants Rivers to be a Charger for life but the two sides have yet to have discussions about restructuring his contract.
Raiders middle linebacker Nick Roach, who missed the entire 2014 season after suffering a concussion in a preseason game, is still having headaches and is not expected to return next season, team sources told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. After playing every defensive snap for Oakland in 2013, Roach suffered the concussion in a preseason game against the Packers in August. He briefly returned to practice in September but never made it back into live action.
Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star spoke with NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks, whose latest mock has the Chiefs taking Marcus Mariota at No. 18. Brooks wouldn’t be concerned if Mariota took a slide, largely due to concerns about the amount of time it would take for him to transition to the pro game from Oregon’s uptempo spread offense. And, while the Chiefs have Alex Smith under center, Chiefs GM John Dorsey was in Green Bay when they took Aaron Rodgers in the first round and sat him for three years behind Brett Favre.

L.A. Notes: Chargers, Raiders, San Antonio

February 22nd, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Rob DiRe

The NFL is serious about bringing the league back to Los Angeles, even though it hasn’t happened in time to get games there in 2015. Still, the future of the NFL is moving toward a return to one of the nation’s largest markets, writes Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II notes that this commitment is not in sentiment only, but in actual financial investment. Rooney is serving as chairman of the NFL committee looking into moving to L.A.

“People are actually investing dollars into getting something done,” said Rooney. “People can take that as maybe we’re more serious than we’ve been over the last decade or so.”

Here are some other notes surrounding the teams considering relocation to Los Angeles:

Chargers owner Dean Spanos and San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer met to discuss the team’s need to explore other options in case they cannot reach an agreement to stay at Qualcomm Stadium, according to Kevin Acee of the U-T San Diego (via Twitter). The team released a statement regarding the meeting between Spanos and Faulconer. The comes on the heels of a joint proposal with the Raiders to finance a stadium in Los Angeles.
While the Raiders and Chargers are currently working together on their journey towards relocation, the idea that the joint proposal will seal the deal is premature. The Raiders will need to see significant progress over the next 30 days in order to take this process to the next step, writes Matier and Ross of SFGate.com.
The Raiders may still be trying to head back to Los Angeles, but the city of San Antonio has not given up its efforts to bring the team to the state of Texas, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. “The concerted efforts of San Antonio’s public and private sectors remain focused on a long-term vision to bring the Raiders to the Alamo City,” according to a statement released by the city.
The Raiders may be the wild card in this whole relocation process, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (via Twitter). The Chargers and Rams are both looking to Los Angeles, but the Raiders could stay in Oakland, go to San Antonio, or even replace the Rams in St. Louis, in addition to the L.A. possibility.

AFC Links: Raiders, Thomas, Patriots, McPhee

February 21st, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Ben Levine

Following news that the Raiders and Chargers proposed a shared Los Angeles stadium, there were rumors that Raiders owner Mark Davis was using the move as leverage for a new stadium in Oakland. The owner didn’t necessarily confirm that rumor, but he did acknowledge that he’d like to keep the organization in it’s current location (via Vic Tafur of SFChronicle.com):

“That’s our No. 1 priority, to stay in Oakland, always has been and will continue to be,” Davis said. “We’re really trying to stay, and now there’s a great opportunity in Los Angeles. We need to get something done.”

Davis also touched on his relationship with Alex Spanos, the Chargers owner:

“My dad helped Alex (Spanos) get in the league, and while we have been fierce rivals on the field, we have common philosophies and goals,” Davis said. “And we have the same need. We are the two California teams that need a stadium.

“Together, we may be able to get it done.”

Let’s take a look at more rumors from the AFC…

As each day goes by, it sounds increasingly unlikely that Julius Thomas will return to the Broncos. Similar to many free agent departures, fingers are already being pointed, and the tight end’s agent believes the organization is to blame. “The Broncos came to me, we tried to get it done, it didn’t work,” said Frank Bauer (via Mike Klis of The Denver Post). “Does Julius love Denver? Yes. Does Julius love the fans there? No question. Does he love the organization and the community? Look at what he does for kids in that town…But for some reason people are trying to tear him down. In my opinion what they’re doing by tearing him down is pushing him away.”
While Patriots running backs Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley are set to hit the open market, the team has plenty of depth to compensate for their potential departure. Among that group would be Tyler Gaffney, who missed last season while recovering from an ACL injury. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe believes the team stashed Gaffney for a reason, and he’ll be given every chance to make the team’s roster in 2015 (Twitter links).
Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower underwent shoulder surgery this past week and is expected to miss anywhere from six to seven months. Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald writes that the injury could have an impact on negotiations with veteran Jerod Mayo and his $10MM cap hit for 2015.
It was anticipated that Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee would be a commodity in free agency, and ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure tweets that the 26-year-old is going to be more expensive than anticipated.

Latest On Los Angeles Talks

February 20th, 2015 at 9:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Raiders and Chargers created an uproar Thursday when they announced joint plans to build and share a $1.7 billion, privately financed stadium 15 miles south of Los Angeles in Carson, Calif.

With the Raiders, Chargers and Rams as possible relocation candidates, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wrote Friday that commissioner Roger Goodell has a complicated situation on his hands. Florio opines that two of the three franchises will ultimately end up in L.A., while the odd club out could be pursued by the likes of St. Louis and San Antonio.

Here’s more on the league’s possible return to Los Angeles:

Carson politicians and community leaders held a rally Friday in support of landing the Raiders and Chargers, according to ESPN’s Arash Markazi. Carson Mayor Jim Dear called the acquisition of multiple NFL teams “an enormous opportunity.”
The Raiders’ departure from Oakland is far from a sure thing, writes Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News. Purdy takes a skeptical approach toward possible Raiders relocation and wonders if team owner Mark Davis is using Carson as leverage to get a new stadium in Oakland.
Conversely, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the relocation of the Raiders and Chargers to Carson “could really happen.” In another tweet, LaCanfora speculates that Rams owner Stan Kroenke would get a new stadium deal in St. Louis (plus other pot sweeteners) if his team isn’t one of the two that goes to L.A.
Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune spoke to Davis, who said Oakland is “absolutely” a possibility for the Raiders going forward. McDonald went on to tweet that the Raiders and Chargers are frustrated by a lack of progress toward new stadiums in their respective cities.
“That’s our No. 1 priority, to stay in Oakland, always has been and will continue to be,” Davis told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Vic Tafur. One league official informed Tafur that three teams are racing for two spots in L.A. Further, the three front-runners (San Diego, Oakland and St. Louis) can all terminate their current leases and move after next season.
If the Raiders and/or Chargers do relocate, there hasn’t been any talk of either switching from the AFC to the NFC, Tafur tweets.

AFC Notes: Ngata, Bills, Spiller, Chargers

February 19th, 2015 at 10:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Speaking to Luke Jones of WNST.net, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh expressed plenty of confidence that Baltimore will get a new deal worked out with defensive lineman Haloti Ngata. In all likelihood, the two sides will come to an agreement that reduces Ngata’s $16MM cap number for 2015, and extends his contract beyond the coming season. Of course, the two sides were also working on a new deal last offseason but those talks did not prove to be fruitful. More from the AFC..

Appearing today on WGR 550, Bills general manager Doug Whaley said the team has sent a proposal to Jerry Hughes‘ representatives, who countered with a proposal of their own (link via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak). There’s an “open line of communication” between the two sides, according to Whaley, who said he’s meeting with Bills VP of football administration Jim Overdof today to determine if the club is close to anything with Hughes.
Whaley will meet with C.J. Spiller‘s representatives in Indianapolis to try and hammer out a new deal with the Bills, Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com writes. The rival Jets have been heavily connected to the tailback.
Whaley indicated that if linebacker Brandon Spikes wants an every-down role, it probably won’t happen with the Bills. “So that one’s going to be more of, ‘Hey, do you want to come back and be a one-, two-down player, or do you want to try to go out there and see if you can [be] an every-down player?” Whaley said of Spikes in an interview with John Murphy of BuffaloBills.com (audio link).
As expected, the Chargers won’t use their franchise tag on anyone this offseason, general manager Tom Telesco said today, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link). King Dunlap and Brandon Flowers had been the most viable candidates, but as I wrote last month, a franchise-tag salary would be an overpay for either player.
If Raiders owner Mark Davis has to move the team to the NFC to make the move to Los Angeles happen, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter) doesn’t see that being a deterrent. On Thursday, the Raiders and Chargers announced a plan to build a shared stadium in the Los Angeles area.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Chargers, Raiders Propose Shared Stadium

February 19th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Zachary Links

9:23pm: The teams issued a joint statement to the public (via Chargers.com).

9:09pm: If the Jets and Giants can co-exist in the same building, then maybe the Raiders and Chargers can as well. That’s what the two teams are hoping as they are moving forward on a plan to build a shared $1.7 billion NFL stadium in Carson, California, according to Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times.

Both teams will continue to seek public subsidies for new stadiums in their home markets, but they are developing a detailed proposal for a privately financed Los Angeles-area venue in the event they can’t get deals done in their respective cities. Carson is roughly 20 miles from downtown L.A. The two teams issued a joint statement to the Los Angeles Times regarding the plan on Thursday:

“We are pursuing this stadium option in Carson for one straightforward reason: If we cannot find a permanent solution in our home markets, we have no alternative but to preserve other options to guarantee the future economic viability of our franchises,” the statement read.

The Bolts have been moving with purpose ever since Rams owner Stan Kroenke announced his plan to build an 80,000-seat stadium on the land that used to be Hollywood Park. The Raiders, meanwhile, feel the need to join up with the Chargers since they are among the league’s most financially challenged teams. The NFL has long held that L.A. is a two-team market, and it’s almost inconceivable that the league would allow three teams in such close proximity, so this plan could effectively spoil the Rams’ plans if it comes to fruition.

West Notes: Davis, 49ers, Knighton, Chargers

February 19th, 2015 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

Vernon Davis is coming off his worst season as a pro, and will count for nearly $7MM against the cap in 2015, but he’ll “absolutely” be returning to the 49ers, general manager Trent Baalke said on Wednesday at the combine, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Referring to Davis’ contract and cap hit, Baalke suggested that the numbers are “not as daunting as you may think.”

Let’s round up a few more notes on the Niners and a handful of other West clubs….

The 49ers‘ wide receiver coaches are among the few San Francisco assistants in Indianapolis, which presumably indicates where the team’s offseason priority lies, tweets Barrows.
Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton has “made it very clear” to team management that he wants to return to Denver and would be willing to take something of a hometown discount to make it happen. However, as he tells Josina Anderson of ESPN, Knighton doesn’t feel as if that interest is totally mutual. “To be quite honest with you, it’s frustrating and it’s somewhat disrespectful just knowing how important I was to the team and what the defense could’ve been without somebody like me,” Knighton said. “It’s almost like, the longer they wait, the worse it is going to be.”
Broncos GM John Elway hasn’t heard back from Peyton Manning on his decision for 2015 but he “had a good talk” with the quarterback and said that he’s feeling better, says Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
The Chargers intend to have extension discussions with quarterback Philip Rivers and safety Eric Weddle at the “appropriate time,” according to GM Tom Telesco, but those negotiations aren’t on the team’s agenda for this week, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
With a new contract from the Cardinals in hand, Larry Fitzgerald will almost assuredly start and end his career in the same place, a rarity for NFL legends, as Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic writes. The new deal is quite fair to Fitzgerald, Bickley opines, as the $22MM guaranteed for the next two seasons was arguably $6MM more than he would have found on the open market.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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