For the Los Angeles Chargers, big things could be in store starting in 2024. Though the team was 5-12 last season and plays in the same division as the reigning Super Bowl champions, the team could be on the verge of something special.
That is largely due to a big hire the team made this offseason and if all goes well, the team could be back in the mix among the best teams in the league and some of the players could be in line to win their own awards.
At last year's NFL Honors Awards ceremony, the Chargers were shut out. But that could change following a big season this year. These four Chargers could hear their names called at the 14th annual NFL Honors in February 2025.
Chargers who could win awards following 2024 season
J.K. Dobbins- Comeback Player of the Year
Recently, a clarification had to be issued on the criteria for a player winning Comeback Player of the Year after Joe Flacco won the award last year following a huge season with the Cleveland Browns. However, there is just simply no way that Damar Hamlin shouldn't have won that award, regardless of how much he played.
This season, new Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins will fit that criteria based on what he has had to overcome, with devastating injuries limiting him to just eight games across the last three seasons.
If he is as good as some feel he could be in his new home, he could easily be on a short list of candidates to win this one.
Ladd McConkey, Offensive Rookie of the Year
Ladd McConkey could be on a short list to win this award as he is expected to do big things as a rookie. It will be hard to duplicate what Puka Nacua did with the other Los Angeles team last year, but McConkey was immediately mentioned in the same breath as Nacua right after the draft based on what some can envision for him catching passes from Justin Herbert.
Jim Harbaugh- Coach of the Year
Though it was recently the subject of a "bold" prediction, Jim Harbaugh winning Coach of the Year should be something that could even be expected based on his career accolades.
Antonio Gates- Pro Football Hall of Fame
Perhaps the best part of each NFL Honors show is the announcement of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was expected that former Chargers tight end Antonio Gates was going to be named as a first-ballot entry, but that didn't happen.
If Antonio Gates doesn't get inducted as a First-Ballot Hall of Famer tonight, I'll lose all faith in the Pro Football Hall of Fame's credibility.
— Dylan (@PowellAnalytics) February 8, 2024
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While it's a travesty that Gates' name was not on that list, the committee won't screw that up two years in a row, right?
