The Chargers carry-over $1M unused cap space for 2019

Although not necessarily news in its own right, the official numbers for cap rollover have been released by the NFLPA.

With the 2018 league year all but over, each team is given the opportunity to elect how much of their unused cap space they will carry over into the 2019 season.

It is customary for each team to accept 100% of the cap allocation, as it gives those teams more wiggle room for the coming year. The only negative to accepting the rollover would be that the team would be required to spend 89% of the total cap space. However, that 89% threshold is spread over a 4-year period, currently ending in 2020. With that sort of long-term sprucing possible, there is effectively no downside to accepting the rollover.

Unfortunately, the Chargers will only have an extra $1M to add to the 2019 cap. The 2018 salary cap was set at $177.2M, and the next cap could rise to around $191M if rumors are to be believed. Although they can clear additional space through cuts and trades, those are moves that will wait until the new league year that begins in March.

The Chargers had an expensive team in 2018, and their cap rollover is no surprise. In fact, only two teams in the entire league will have less rollover than the Chargers will enjoy: The LA Rams ($466K) and the Kansas City Chiefs ($715K).

The Indianapolis Colts lead the NFL with an absurd $110.8 million and the New York Jets are second with $93.8 million. The Brown are projected to be third in the league with over $82.4 million. These will be the heavy hitters in free agency, while the Chargers have little choice but to sit and watch the action from afar.

-Jason “The Cap’n is on deck” Michaels