COSTA MESA — Joe Hortiz knew there would be difficult choices to make when he accepted the job as the Chargers’ new general manager on Jan. 30. The Chargers were over the NFL’s salary cap. Way over it. Four players, four cornerstones of the roster, made up the bulk of the team’s cap concerns.
Something would have to be done before a March 13 deadline.
Something unpleasant. Something that might upset a fan base that had been riding high after the hiring of Hortiz to replace former GM Tom Telesco and Jim Harbaugh as coach to replace Brandon Staley. Something that might sever one of the final ties to the franchise’s days in San Diego.
Wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams and edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack each had a cap hit north of $30 million going into the 2024 season, which contributed to the Chargers sailing well past the NFL’s record-high cap of $255.4 million for the upcoming season.
In the end, Hortiz traded Allen to the Chicago Bears, released Williams and agreed with Bosa and Mack on restructured contracts in order to become cap compliant and create cap flexibility for free agency, the NFL draft and myriad other expenses to come as he builds a new roster.
There simply was no room for sentimentality.
“We knew what we had,” Hortiz said Thursday in his first public comments since the first wave of free agency slammed onto the shore and receded. “We knew we had four great players with four great contracts. We had to address that reality and the likelihood that not all four would be back.”
Hortiz said the Chargers had several options with Allen, a six-time Pro Bowl selection who was coming off a career-best and franchise-record 108 receptions in the 2023 season. But they couldn’t come to an agreement on an extension or a restructuring of his contract.
Trading him was the solution.
“We feel good about our cap health now,” Hortiz said.
Hortiz also said he didn’t need clearance from Harbaugh or team owner Dean Spanos or president of football operations John Spanos to trade Allen, a link to San Diego who began his career with the Chargers when they drafted him in 2013 in the third round out of Cal.
“They were aware of everything we were doing, and understood what we’re doing, but at the same time they gave us the autonomy to do the job they hired us to do,” Hortiz said of the Spanos family. “We went down every path (with Allen). In the end, this was the one that fit us best and fit him best, too.”
Hortiz said Harbaugh spoke to quarterback Justin Herbert before the deal was done, only days after the Chargers released Williams. Herbert had forged a bond with Allen and Williams during his first four seasons in the NFL, but now he must make similar connections with other wide receivers.
Free agency is ongoing and will continue to be a focus, possibly until the start of the season in September, according to Hortiz. The draft is April 25-27, and the Chargers have the fifth overall pick, a selection they might trade – to move up or down in the order – or make as scheduled.
The Chargers could have their pick of any number of standout collegiate receivers.
“We’re open to all options when it comes to the draft,” Hortiz said.
Keeping Bosa and Mack on the roster and re-signing safety Alohi Gilman were important moves to make for the defense in the opening days of free agency, Hortiz acknowledged. But signing free agent linebackers Troy Dye and Denzel Perryman and defensive lineman Poona Ford were key additions, too.
“Roster-wise, you’re not blowing up a team,” Hortiz said. “You’re not. There is certainly value in all the players who are (still) here. Guys that understand what it’s like to be here, that does matter, but we also want guys to understand what it’s going to be like to be here because there is a program change, there is a culture change. That’s always the case.”
