Jim Harbaugh's first year with the Los Angeles Chargers is going to be an important one, but looking toward the future can never stop for any NFL front office.
The Chargers did not sign any big-splash free agents this offseason, deciding instead to trade away Keenan Allen and allow both Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler to find new teams. They then signed veteran free agents such as D.J. Chark, Will Dissly, Hayden Hurst, and Kristian Fulton.
What will the team look like following this season? Which players could be left out of future plans based on this season's results? It's impossible to cross that bridge until we get there, but here is a preview of what free agency will look like for the Chargers following this season.
Los Angeles Chargers 2025 unrestricted free agents
Primary players
Khalil Mack
Asante Samuel Jr.
J.K. Dobbins
Josh Palmer
Looking at all 20 of the Chargers players who are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2025, the list of "must-keep" players is short, which will make free agency much easier to navigate through.
Asante Samuel is the top player on this list based on his current value to the team. Khalil Mack can still be one of the game's better pass-rushers but he will be 34 years old next year. There's a reason why his name has been attached to trade talks all offseason.
Josh Palmer is slowly rising the ranks of NFL wide receivers and could solidify himself as a key piece of the future with a big 2024 season. J.K. Dobbins is a big question mark right now due to missing most of the last two NFL seasons.
Second-Tier players
Brenden Jaimes
D.J. Chark
Kristian Fulton
Easton Stick
Denzel Perryman
JK Scott
Troy Dye
Poona Ford
Donald Parham
Tony Jefferson
Bradley Bozeman
Chris Rumph
Morgan Fox
Hayden Hurst
For most of the players on this list, their performance in 2024 will be a huge factor in what the future holds for them in Los Angeles. You'll notice that many of the team's signings this offseason are listed here (Chark, Fulton, Perryman, Bozeman, Hurst) and that is because they were all given 1-year "prove it" deals.
If they don't prove much, they will probably be free agents again next offseason.
Depth players (may not make the team this year)
Nick Neimann
Simi Fehoko
