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Well it’s about time.
According to Ian Rapoport, the Chargers and wide receiver Travis Benjamin have agreed to mutually part ways once the new league year begins on March 18th.
The #Chargers and WR Travis Benjamin are mutually parting ways after the team and agent Ron Butler met at the Combine, source said. Benjamin, who has been with the team since 2016, will be a free agent when the league year begins.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 3, 2020
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to anyone who pays any close attention to the team. In fact, I wrote just yesterday how I believed Benjamin was all but gone already from the team after ending last season on IR following a string of mediocre seasons between San Diego and Los Angeles.
In his four seasons with the Chargers, Benjamin caught over 50% of his targets just once and never finished with more scores than drops in a given season. His best statistical season came in 2016 when Keenan Allen was lost for the season to a torn ACL. He ended that year with 47 catches for 677 yards and four touchdowns but coughed up the football three times.
Since the two groups will split following the start of the new league year, the Chargers will be able to save Benjamin’s $1.5 million cap hit from being dead money. This move signifies the Chargers’ intent to finding an upgrade at their third wide receiver spot and I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Chargers select one in the middle rounds of this year’s NFL Draft.