The Los Angeles Chargers missed on the obvious top wide receiver options for Justin Herbert in free agency and via trade before the market even opened.
Davante Adams went and signed with the Los Angeles Rams after speculation about his desire to be on the West Coast linked him to the Chargers. And despite the Chargers being high on his trade destination list, DK Metcalf got traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That leaves the Chargers looking for better values and what they hope will be similar impacts. These are some of the top options left.
It sounds like Godwin is going to be too expensive for the Chargers in free agency. But he’s an option, provided they can look past his recent injuries. He’d be a dynamic playmaker in the same offense as Ladd McConkey, but the cost would be just as high as the huge contracts for Adams and Metcalf.
Diggs tore his ACL last year and is 31, which makes for a complicated market. But he’s been an elite No. 1 for years and if he’s all the way healthy, perhaps the Chargers like the value if he’s forced into a prove-it deal.
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Slayton, 28, might have a bigger-than-expected market. But there’s reason to suggest nobody has seen his very best yet because of his miserable surroundings with the Giants. Perhaps the Chargers will buy in on fully unlocking his talent.
Might the Chargers look to an old friend? Allen might be 32, but the fact he has thousands of built-in reps with Herbert already gives him a pretty unique advantage over other free agents, right?
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