Report: Joey Bosa, Khalil Mack Restructure Chargers Contracts Ahead of Free Agency

The Los Angeles Chargers have created significant cap space by restructuring the contracts of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack.

Per ESPN's Field Yates, the reworked deals for the two defensive stars opened up $25.99 million for the Chargers.

Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap, the Chargers converted $22.835 million of Bosa's base salary to a bonus that nearly cut his cap number in half to $15.776 million.

Mack's $21.553 million base salary was converted to a bonus that will be prorated over two seasons and reduced his 2023 cap hit by $10.8 million.

The reworked deals for Bosa and Mack come two days after wide receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen restructured their contracts to save the team $14.4 million against the cap.

Amid speculation earlier this offseason that the Chargers might look to move on from Keenan Allen, general manager Tom Telesco downplayed that as a possibility.

"Keenan Allen, he's our Andre Reed," Telesco said on NFL Network's Good Morning Football on March 1. "He's our Charlie Joiner. There's no thought of that. We're thrilled with Keenan."

Restructuring Allen's deal effectively confirmed he would be with the Chargers in 2023. This offseason also marks the first time Justin Herbert can sign a long-term extension.

Per NFL.com's Jim Trotter, extending Herbert is a "priority" for Los Angeles.

Fitzgerald did note all of these recent restructures leave the Chargers with the third-worst cap situation in the NFL for the 2024 season.

Even with some limited flexibility on the horizon, the Chargers have put a priority on trying to win with Herbert on his rookie deal. They signed Williams to an extension, acquired Mack in a trade and brought in J.C. Jackson as a free agent last offseason.

The Chargers did make the playoffs as a wild-card team but lost in the AFC Wild Card game to the Jacksonville Jaguars after blowing a 27-0 lead.