Chargers work magic, keep J.C. Jackson’s 2022 cap hit to $8 million

Everyone knew that wherever J.C, Jackson ended up as a free agent, that team was going to have to pay a premium for the services of the league’s leader in interceptions since 2018. Luckily, that team ended up being the Chargers who used all that healthy cap space to grab the guy who could be a cornerstone for the defense going forward.

Jackson is expected to sign a five-year, $82.5 million contract that includes $40 million guaranteed. Per Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus, Jackson’s base salary for the 2022 and 2023 season will be $3 million and $12 million, respectively. That means his entire cap hit in 2022 will be a meager $8 million.

Now that’s some real black magic by the Chargers’ front office.

Per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper, the Chargers had roughly $12.4 million in cap space prior to the Jackson deal. If we take out the $8 million, they’re only left with ~$4.4 million. That’s not a whole lot, but I can almost guarantee more moves will be made when it comes to the numbers and/or cuts on the team. Again, you have to think it’s a certainty that the Chargers cut Bryan Bulaga this week which adds an additional $10 million to their spending power. That’d be plenty to potentially sign one more player who could come in and make their defense better.