Jim Harbaugh Handed “Easy Fix” to Resolve Salary Cap Issues After Initial $10 Million Move

Jim Harbaugh and Dean Spanos’ salary cap conundrum, which was looking too tough to solve with the passing day, is seemingly on its way to a solution. Jim Harbaugh was just about to settle the overdue contracts in the roster after a successful staff overhaul when he found the franchise of about $55.391 million over their salary cap of $45 million. Among these, $55.391 million, and $45.806 million over the cap funds were because of the to-be-paid contracts of four veteran players, overdue in 2024: Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack, Keenan Allen, and Mike Williams.

This ultimately prompted Harbaugh to consider eliminating some or all of these veteran players for the 2024 season, as several reports suggest. Well, to soothe the burn of going over the cap, Harbaugh and GM Hortiz have worked out a way to free up about $10.29 million in cap space with Corely Linsey’s contract restructure. Now, all they need to do is “adjust the contract of two more players, and they are under the cap.” Former 3-time NFL All-Pro Shawne Merriman suggested this “easy fix” for Chargers, claiming that “People made such a big deal about cap space.”

Now, the moment of truth will boil down to this question: Who will these two players be? The Athletics’ Daniel Pooper claims that Joey Bosa would have the biggest return on the trade market. Since then, reports of Jim Harbaugh considering letting Joey Bosa go, freeing up the $25.36M Joey Bosa is due in 2024 are gaining momentum. This, however, would come with either Khalil Mack, Keenan Allen, or Mike Williams also being let go. Yet, one can never tell Harbaugh’s next move. The Chargers coach might as well restructure some other players’ contracts, dealing with the salary cap restraints. For now, Harbaugh’s move of convincing Linsey for one more year was a good move for the franchise.

Chargers agreed to keep Cory Linsey for one more year

Per Pro Football Talks reports, Corey Liney, who was 99% sure of retiring this off-season, has worked on a restructured contract that reduces his salary from $11.5 million to the bare minimum. The reason Liney considered leaving the league was because of him being diagnosed with a non-emergent heart issue during the 2023 season, placing him on the non-football illness list.

READ ALSO: Jim Harbaugh Urged to Rip $36 Million Worth Band-Aid off Amid Chargers’ Massive Cap Space Conundrum

He initially joined the Chargers in 2021 by signing a five-year contract. Hence, if Harbaugh decides to declare Linsey on the reserve/retired list after June 1, then Los Angeles can spread out the dead money from the cap hit over two seasons. What will Harbaugh’s next move in the salary cap dilemma be? Let us know in the comments.

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