Chargers’ top WR options after missing Davante Adams, DK Metcalf
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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Chris Godwin
Stefon Diggs
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Chris Roling | 1 Hour Ago
Chargers linked to ‘home run’ move that Justin Herbert would love
The Los Angeles Chargers know very well that they have to add some weapons for quarterback Justin Herbert this offseason, but it won’t be easy.
The Chargers surely wanted to pursue Tee Higgins, but the Cincinnati Bengals slapped a franchise tag on the star wide receiver. While that doesn’t rule him out entirely (Los Angeles could trade for him), it probably mostly removes him from consideration.
So, where else could the Chargers turn?
Well, Bleacher Report’s Andrew Peters has listed three potential targets for LA in the wake of the Higgins news, and the most significant among them was Chris Godwin.
“Of the players listed, Godwin would likely be the home run signing,” Peters wrote. “The 29-year-old has recorded 1,000 or more receiving yards four times and was on pace for the best season of his career in 2024 before a dislocated ankle ended his year after seven games. He had 576 receiving yards and five touchdowns before the injury.”
Godwin is now clearly the best wide out on the free-agent market with Higgins likely returning to the Bengals, and a legitimate argument can be made that he would have been the best even if Cincinnati didn’t tag Higgins.
The Penn State product has long been one of the NFL’s most underrated receivers while playing in the shadow of Mike Evans with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He made one Pro Bowl appearance in 2019 after hauling in 86 receptions for 1,333 yards and nine touchdowns, but otherwise, Godwin hasn’t received a whole lot of recognition.
While Godwin’s injury recovery is a bit dicey given the severity of it, he should still be alright for 2025 and would comprise a lethal combination with Ladd McConkey in the Bolts’ aerial attack.
The Philadelphia native would definitely represent one heck of a pickup for Herbert, who is in dire need of some assistance.
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The Las Vegas Raiders are expected to be busy when NFL free agency kicks off on March 12. While the Raiders hope to re-sign their in-house defensive backs, it seems that the franchise also has Minnesota Vikings cornerback Byron Murphy on its wish list. The Athletic’s Tashan Reed posted Sunday on X that Murphy is “at the top” of the list at cornerback for the Raiders. The Raiders have not had a clear No. 1 cornerback for many seasons. If they were to add Murphy to the mix, he would be an upgrade over Jack Jones and free agent Nate Hobbs. While Jones has shown some flashes since joining the Raiders midway through the 2023 season, he didn’t carry it over to the past season. Hobbs, meanwhile, has missed 17 games during his four-year career. Murphy, 27, finished the season with six interceptions, 14 pass deflections, one forced fumble and 81 tackles in 17 games played. Listed as one of the three players the Raiders should target by Yardbarker, he would give the team the shutdown corner it needs in a competitive AFC West, especially with quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert and Bo Nix in the division. The Raiders’ cornerbacks had four interceptions last season. It’s hard to win with such lowly numbers, as evidenced by the Raiders’ 4-13 finish. If the Raiders were to sign Murphy, it would be a win early in the offseason for the Raiders.
The Chicago Cubs are slowly closing in on March 18 when they travel to Japan to start their regular season in a quick two-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Cubs have already started trimming their roster down with the latest cuts, coming to relievers Ethan Robertsand Luke Little. The Cubs will have to make more tough choices as the start of the season draws closer. The Chicago Cubs make a tough choice The Cubs made one of those tough choices today, with Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reporting that infielder Nicky Lopez will not be traveling to Japan with the team and will instead remain here in the States. “Cubs Nicky Lopez told he will not be going to Japan.Lopez signed a minor league deal on Feb 2nd.” Lopez, as Levine indicated, signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs back in Feb and was competing for a job this spring. In eight games, Lopez is hitting .474/.565/.579 with an OPS of 1.144, with two doubles to his stat line. What does this mean for Lopez? Last season, Lopez played 124 games for the Chicago White Sox, where he had a down year offensively, hitting .241/.312/.294 with an OPS and OPS+ of .606 and 76. Even though Lopez wasn’t great at the plate, he didn’t allow it to affect his defenses, with him being named a finalist for the Gold Glove at second base for the American League. With this news, one can speculate that Lopez will likely not make the Opening Day roster when the Cubs travel to Arizona on March 27. Given that’s the case, Lopez will have to decide if he will report to the minors and be a depth piece for the Cubs if another injury happens or be released and try to find another job elsewhere. If Lopez decides to do the latter, given how he’s performed this spring, a team will likely pick him up.
The Toronto Maple Leafs are heading into Colorado for a must-win game, but they will once again be without Chris Tanev according to head coach Craig Berube. With the Maple Leafs looking to make a statement after the NHL Trade Deadline, they head into Colorado to take on the Avalanche in a must-win game for the losers of their last two games. They’ve had to deal with some injuries, as is par for the course this season, but Chris Tanev’s is of utmost importance. He’s been the glue that’s held the Maple Leafs together and with his absence, the team feels lacking that defensive x-factor. Well, unfortunately for the team, he’s going to miss another game according to head coach Craig Berube. It’s a really bad sign for the Maple Leafs as they initially feared the worst when it came to Tanev, but then were relieved when it didn’t appear serious. Missing five games is starting to get serious, and Toronto needs him healthy in order to be as successful as they have been. This season, Tanev has 17 points (2G, 15A) while doing his usual shot-blocking with 151 stoppers in 57 games and is in the first year of his six-year deal he signed with Toronto in the offseason. What does this mean for Toronto? It means Toronto is going to need newcomer Brandon Carlo to come in and pull his weight immediately. While he won’t be with Tanev’s partner Jake McCabe, no doubt the two will be paired together on the penalty kill, and it’s imperative he does what he’s done all season, shut opponents down. Given that Craig Berube relies so heavily on Tanev, isn’t the best thing given his injury, but it’s better to be safe than sorry, and it’s a heck of a lot better deploying Carlo than Conor Timmins; though the team doesn’t have to worry about him anymore. It also means Toronto is going to be in tough against a Colorado team that added a bunch of pieces and is looking to keep their playoff hopes secure.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot of areas on the roster that need to be addressed during the 2025 offseason. One of the primary spots that needs an upgrade is the defensive line. Cam Heyward is still one of the best defensive tackles in the league, but he can’t play forever. Pittsburgh needs to work to infuse some quality young talent into the room in order to set the franchise up for the present and future. This can begin in free agency, but the organization will likely attack the defensive line at least once in the 2025 NFL Draft as well. Heyward is under contract for two more seasons, but the depth behind him is questionable at best for Pittsburgh. The fan base had high hopes for Keeanu Benton, but he is still working to reach his full potential. The defensive line is going to need some help in the near future, and a player like Milton Williams should be able to provide that. Williams is going to be a free agent, and he should be at the top of the list of priorities for general manager Omar Khan. The defensive tackle could be a good investment, but he will come with a steep price. This would be the largest contract given out to an external free agent in franchise history if the Steelers were to offer something similar, beating Patrick Queen’s deal from the 2024 offseason. This would also add to what is already one of the highest-paid defenses in the league, as fans have been arguing that more resources need to be spent on a mediocre offense. Williams made himself known to the nation during the Philadelphia Eagles’ win in Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs. Williams was able to sack Patrick Mahomes twice while also forcing and recovering a fumble. He was one of the best defensive players on the field during the game, which certainly increased his value prior to becoming a free agent. The defensive tackle just finished his fourth season in the NFL, all coming in Philadelphia. He has played in all but one game over his career, and he has recorded 11.5 sacks and 132 tackles. He is a large force in the middle of the defensive line, and he has been able to rush the passer and plug up holes in the run game. He is the kind of defender that the Steelers could use, but maybe not for $63M. There is a lot of recency bias when it comes to Williams, and that is mainly because of his performance in Super Bowl LIX. According to Spotrac, Williams should receive a three-year deal worth $53M. A $10M difference might not seem like much, but the lower the price tag the better, especially when it is a player who has started 19 games through four seasons. The Steelers are expected to be active in free agency, especially along the defensive line and at cornerback. The organization could give out a big deal at both positions, to plays like Williams and maybe Byron Murphy. That would be a large investment into what is already the highest-paid defense in the NFL, and results would have to be seen. Pittsburgh had the highest-paid defense in the NFL during the 2024 season as well, and the defense played a huge role in the five-game losing streak to end the year. The defensive unit completely fell off of a cliff, and barely any coaching changes were made. The fan base would really like to see the franchise poor some more money into the offensive side of the football, so the defense better be the best in the league in 2025 if some of these large contracts come to fruition.
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