Chargers' Elijah Molden: Recovering from knee surgery
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Molden (knee) said Monday he is recovering from offseason surgery undergone to repair a right meniscus tear and expects to be fully healthy for training camp, Kris Rhim of ESPN.com reports.
Molden said he's already recovered from the broken left fibula he suffered back in December, but he's been limited at voluntary OTAs due to his offseason knee surgery. The veteran safety inked a three-year, $18.75 million contract with the Chargers in February after having tallied a career-high 75 total tackles across 15 regular-season appearances in 2024. He also had seven passes defensed, including three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries last season.
The Chargers selected Mickens in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 214th overall.
Although he's the son of former Jets slot cornerback Ray Mickens, R.J. played the safety position at Clemson. That Mickens (6-feet, 199 pounds) was only a rotational player for his first three collegiate seasons doesn't bode especially well for his NFL projection, but Mickens was a capable starter in those fourth and fifth seasons, and his combine testing was more than adequate (4.49-second 40-yard dash, 41.5-inch vertical jump). Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter coaxed excellent results out of the Chargers' defensive back personnel in 2024, so Mickens could be one of Minter's next success cases.
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Chargers' Kyle Kennard: Lands with Chargers
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The Chargers selected Kennard in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 125th overall.
Kennard started out at Georgia Tech before transferring to South Carolina, where he became the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. He lines up outside the tackle and gets after the passer; he had 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss for the Gamecocks. With Joey Bosa gone, Kennard has a path to taking on a role on the edge for the Chargers right away.
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Asante Samuel: Medical concern limiting interest
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Samuel (neck/shoulder) remains unsigned and has a "medical concern" that's impacting teams' interest in him, according to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo.
Garafolo also confirmed the medical concern is related to the neck/shoulder injury that limited Samuel to four games in 2024. A previous report said he's dealing with something similar to stinger symptoms, though lasting for months rather than weeks. The 2021 second-round pick made 47 starts in four years with the Chargers, recording double-digit pass defenses and exactly two interceptions each of his first three years on the team. Samuel reportedly visited with the Cardinals a couple weeks ago, but there haven't been any other reports of visits or serious interest, leaving him as one of the top unsigned players heading into the second month of the NFL league year.
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Chargers' Tony Jefferson: Decides to play again in 2025
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Jefferson re-signed with the Chargers on a one-year deal Monday, Jordan Schultz of Fox Sports reports.
The safety spent 2022 with the Giants, worked as a scouting intern with the Ravens in 2023 and came out of retirement to play for the Chargers last season, recording 27 tackles (17 solo) in eight regular-season games. Jefferson started four of those contests and the Chargers' only playoff game due to injuries in the secondary. In 2025, he projects as a depth safety behind Derwin James and Alohi Gilman.
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Falcons' Morgan Fox: Heading to Atlanta
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Fox signed a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Falcons on Friday, Matt Urben of USA Today reports.
Fox spent the last three years with the Chargers and played in every single regular-season game over that span. He finished the 2024 campaign with 27 tackles (19 solo), including 3.5 sacks, and one pass defense across 17 regular-season games. Fox bolsters the Falcons' defensive-line rotation, and his addition should help mitigate the sting of losing Pro Bowler Grady Jarrett to the Bears in free agency.
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Chargers' Denzel Perryman: Staying in Los Angeles
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Perryman (elbow) is in line to sign with the Chargers on a one-year, $3.6 million contract, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Perryman played a big role in the Chargers' defense in 2024 -- especially against the run -- and he finished the regular season with 55 tackles (39 solo), including 1.0 sacks, across 11 games. He tore a ligament in his elbow during the Chargers' AFC wild-card loss to the Texans in January, but the veteran linebacker is expected to be fully healthy for the start of the 2025 season.
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Chargers' Troy Dye: Sticking with Bolts
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The Chargers will re-sign Dye to a two-year, $5.5 million contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Dye had a career year with the Chargers in 2024, logging 57 tackles (34 solo) and 1.5 sacks over 17 games. He'll try to keep that momentum rolling into 2025, as he figures to retain a significant role in the linebacker rotation.
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Bills' Joey Bosa: Heading to Buffalo
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The Bills are slated to sign Bosa to a one-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Bosa will head to Buffalo after having racked up a combined 62.0 sacks across his nine seasons with the Chargers. He should be an upgrade on Von Miller, who is set to be released, and Bosa will join a dangerous pass-rush rotation that already features Greg Rousseau and A.J. Epenesa.
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Texans' Nick Niemann: Heading to Houston
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The Texans are slated to sign Niemann to a two-year contract worth up to $6.5 million, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Niemann mostly played on special teams for the Chargers in 2024 and finished with 21 tackles (11 solo) and one pass defense across 13 regular-season games. He'll likely serve in a similar role in Houston, though he could get some reps in rotation behind starting outside linebackers Christian Harris and Azeez Al-Shaair (knee).
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Chiefs' Kristian Fulton: Signs with Kansas City
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Fulton agreed to a two-year, $20 million deal with the Chiefs on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Networkreports.
Fulton rejuvenated his career in his lone year with the Chargers last season, turning into arguably one of Los Angeles' best secondary pieces. The 26-year-old parlayed the strong season into a significant deal with the Chiefs that includes $15 million guaranteed and a maximum value of $20.5 million, per Rapoport. Fulton has played as a boundary corner for virtually his entire career, but with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson already firmly set in their spots, it's possible the new addition could be utilized all around Kansas City's secondary.
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Chargers' Teair Tart: Staying in Los Angeles
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The Chargers are slated to sign Tart to a one-year, $5.5 million contract when the new league year begins Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Tart appeared in all 17 regular-season games for the Chargers in 2024 and finished with 29 tackles (15 solo), including 1.0 sacks, two pass defenses (one interception), one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He'll bolster the Chargers' depth on the defensive line behind Otito Ogbonnia, Morgan Fox and Justin Eboigbe.
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Rams' Poona Ford: Shifting cities
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Ford is in line to sign a three-year, $30 million contract with the Rams, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Ford has been working under a one-year contract each of the past three seasons, but his efforts in 2024 have earned him a longer-term deal. The Texas product finished last season with 39 combined tackles, including tying a career high with 3.0 sacks, and a career-high five passes defended, including his first career interception.
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Chargers' Khalil Mack: Staying with Bolts on one-year deal
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Mack and the Chargers agreed to terms Monday on a one-year, fully-guaranteed $18 million contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Mack had been scheduled for free agency, but he instead will remain in Los Angeles, where the departure of Joey Bosa leaves edge rusher still a pivotal position of need for the Chargers. The 34-year-old veteran is coming off a productive 2024 campaign in which he tallied 39 tackles, including 6.0 sacks, plus nine pass breakups and two forced fumbles over 16 regular-season appearances, and as recently as 2023 he racked up a career-best 17.0 sacks across 17 regular-season games with the team.
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Joey Bosa: Time up with Chargers
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The Chargers released Bosa on Wednesday.
Bosa, a five-time Pro Bowler and 2016 first-round pick, had been the Chargers' longest-tenured player. Once one of the league's premier pass rushers, injuries have limited Bosa to just 28 combined contests over the past three regular seasons. Since he was scheduled for a cap hit of roughly $36.4 million in 2025, Bosa never seemed to be a realistic candidate to remain with the Chargers, barring a significant pay cut. Still just 29 years old, Bosa will likely draw notable attention as one of the few capable edge rushers on the open market, despite his diminished production and poor health in recent years.
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Chargers' Elijah Molden: Sticking in LA
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Molden (shin) signed a three-year, $18.75 million contract extension with the Chargers on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
The Chargers acquired Molden just before the start of the regular season, and he was on the field for a career-high 721 defensive snaps and 121 special-teams snaps during the regular season. He racked up 75 total tackles and three interceptions across 15 games and is now likely to be locked into a significant role in the Chargers defense for the next several seasons. Of the $18.75 million, $13.5 is fully guaranteed.
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Chargers' Scott Matlock: Shows off versatility in 2024
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Matlock appeared in all 17 regular-season games for the Chargers this season, making four catches on five targets for 28 yards while also recording seven combined tackles and 1.0 sacks.
Matlock appeared in all three phases of the game this year, playing snaps on offense at fullback, working on the edge on defense and also seeing work on special teams. His work at fullback was a new wrinkle in his repertoire this year after he played on the other side of the ball exclusively in his rookie campaign. With two years remaining on his rookie contract, Matlock should have more time in Los Angeles to develop his skills out of the backfield.
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Chargers' Marcus Maye: UFA after 42-tackle season
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Maye (ankle) posted 42 tackles (19 solo) and one interception among his three passes defensed in 15 regular-season appearances split between the Dolphins and Chargers.
Maye played 11 games with Miami before being waived and subsequently claimed by the Chargers. He proceeded to get into four games with LA before suffering a season-ending ankle injury and finishing the season on IR. The veteran safety is an unrestricted free agent, so he'll first need to recover before he can sign with a team in the offseason.
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Chargers' Joey Bosa: Only 5.0 sacks in 14 games
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Bosa finished the 2024 regular season with 5.0 sacks among his 22 tackles (17 solo) in 14 appearances (nine starts).
Bosa's days as a dominant pass rusher appear to be behind him, as he has just 14.0 sacks over the past three regular seasons while being limited to 28 appearances over that span. He tacked on a sack in the playoffs, but that wasn't nearly enough to prevent the Chargers from crashing out with a 32-12 loss to the Texans in the wild-card round. The big-name pass rusher is under contract at a cap hit of $36.47 million for 2025, but the Chargers can get out of the deal with $11.11 million in dead cap space, and LA will likely take that out given Bosa's declining production in recent years after he compiled double-digit sack totals in four of his first six seasons.
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Chargers' Morgan Fox: Free agent after 3.5-sack season
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Fox had 3.5 sacks among his 27 tackles (19 solo) and added one pass defensed in the 2024 regular season.
Fox dressed for all 17 regular-season games but started only three. He added two tackles (one solo) in the Chargers' wild-card round playoff exit against the Texans. The 30-year-old defensive lineman is set to be an unrestricted free agent after spending the past three seasons with the Chargers.
