EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz struck a positive tone Wednesday afternoon as they wrapped up the 2024 season.
The optimism was deserved. Harbaugh and Hortiz led a considerable turnaround in their first season together. The Chargers won 11 regular-season games after winning just five in 2023. They made the postseason.
Harbaugh reset the culture and generated commendable buy-in from players up and down the roster. He raised the floor for the organization. As edge rusher Khalil Mack put it earlier this week, “It’s impressive what he was able to do and what we were able to squeeze out of what we had.”
After inheriting a tough financial situation, Hortiz assembled a competitive roster through various avenues. Hortiz has set the organization up for continued growth. Notably, he found multiple starting pieces in the draft in tackle Joe Alt, receiver Ladd McConkey and cornerbacks Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still. Now he heads into an offseason with substantially more cap space than he had in the 2024 offseason. And the Chargers have a chance to stack more talent on what is an already sturdy foundation.
The season ended disappointingly with a 32-12 wild-card round loss to the Houston Texans. But that does not detract from what Harbaugh and Hortiz accomplished.
“So much good to build on,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “A lot of excitement for me and Joe as we build version 2.0.”
Here are my takeaways from the joint end-of-season news conference.
1. Harbaugh and Hortiz passionately defended Justin Herbert when they were asked about the criticism of their quarterback in the aftermath of Saturday’s loss in Houston. Herbert threw a career-high four interceptions.
Harbaugh called the criticism “completely unfair.”
“We did him a disservice and didn’t put him in the positions to be successful enough,” Harbaugh said.
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Hortiz mentioned Peyton Manning and Lamar Jackson in his response. Manning went 0-3 in the playoffs in his first five NFL seasons. Jackson lost his first two playoff games before finally getting over the hump in Year 3 in 2020. Herbert is now 0-2 in the playoffs in his first five seasons.
“If we’re going to set a narrative on Justin off of two playoff games, that’s absurd,” Hortiz said. ”What I watch this guy do, he’s phenomenal. He’s a phenomenal competitor, leader, playmaker. We’ll roll with him. They’re going to roll me out of here before they roll him out of here. I can promise you that. He’s special, and special things are ahead for him. Book it.”
Harbaugh drives the message for the organization, and he is never going to criticize his players publicly. Love it, hate it, that is just who he is. And that is how he approached his answers Wednesday.
“It didn’t go good, and that’s on me,” Harbaugh said. “That’s my responsibility. That’s my accountability. I really felt going into that tournament that we were as good as the best teams in the playoffs. Not just as good as any team but as good as the best teams in the playoffs. We were not the better team that day. That’s my responsibility. We did not play complementary football well enough. My responsibility. And we weren’t our best when our best was needed. Again, my responsibility.”
As we have documented at length over the past year, Harbaugh does everything for a reason. That is the case with this approach to player criticism, as well. He will always take the blame, and ultimately that matters to players.
“Even in our worst losses, he’s never pointed fingers at anybody besides himself,” left tackle Rashawn Slater told me late in the season. “It’s not even necessary. A lot of times, it’s not his fault, but he always takes the blame. That’s just who he is.”
I do not think the truth is that deep. Justin Herbert is a good quarterback. He is capable of winning a playoff game. He battled through numerous injuries this season to lead the Chargers to the postseason. At times, he played exceptional football. The Chargers offensive line was an utter mess against the Texans. The offense only has one receiver capable of winning consistently against man coverage, and that is McConkey. Herbert also played poorly against the Texans.
All those things can be true at the same time.
2. The Chargers have 27 players set to hit unrestricted free agency in March. That large number is partly a function of how Hortiz built the 2024 roster.
One of the most impressive facets of Hortiz’s roster build was identifying cost-effective free agents who ended up outperforming their contracts. The Chargers signed a number of these players to one-year deals, including Poona Ford, Kristian Fulton, J.K. Dobbins, Teair Tart and Troy Dye.
Hortiz also traded for safety Elijah Molden, who is on an expiring deal. Other players they held on to from last year’s team are also on expiring deals, like Mack, Morgan Fox, Asante Samuel Jr. and Joshua Palmer.
Having so many players on expiring deals creates an interesting scenario, and how Hortiz manages it will tell us a lot about his process, particularly as it relates to compensatory draft picks.
Back in February, at his introductory news conference, Hortiz said, “I’m a big fan of comp picks. … Let’s create that chain. Let’s create that cycle of comp picks.”
Players who complete their contracts before signing elsewhere are eligible to factor into the comp pick formula. And so the Chargers have 27 players who could factor into the formula for the 2026 draft. Whether they factor in depends on the average annual value of the next contract they sign with another team.
How will Hortiz balance his stated love for comp picks while also retaining some highly productive players? Ford, for instance, was essential to how the Chargers defended the run this season. Ford signed for less than $2 million last offseason. He could command a much more lucrative long-term deal on the open market. As such, he could move the needle with the comp pick formula.
“The goal is to gain comp picks every year,” Hortiz said. “But the reality of it is some years you may not be able to do that, and I think you have to objectively look at that and say, hey, this may be a year or this may not be a year.”
Comp picks are awarded in rounds 3 through 7. Only the most expensive free-agent contracts can lead to a third-round comp pick. The vast majority of comp picks fall on Day 3. But Hortiz has already proved capable of finding contributors and even starters in this stage of the draft. Hart and Still were fifth-round picks. These picks can be valuable for a general manager like Hortiz.
At the same time, Hortiz called this year’s group “special.” And Harbaugh voiced a similar sentiment.
“I don’t know if it’s possible to get everybody back,” Harbaugh said. “But I want to come as darn close as it’s possible to have darn near all of our players come back.”
3. The Chargers have a decision to make as far as their plan at center. Bradley Bozeman started all 18 games at that spot this season and led the Chargers in offensive snaps with 1,057. In the end, the Chargers got exactly what they paid for with Bozeman. He was available. He was a valuable veteran voice in the offensive line group. He also has his limitations as a player, particularly in pass protection.
When asked specifically about Bozeman, Hortiz said, “We want everyone back.” He added that he’s already had a conversation with Bozeman about returning. And after the loss in Houston, Bozeman fought back tears while saying, “I hope I’m around next year. I love this place. I want to be here. But right now it’s out of my hands.”
Harbaugh brought up how Bozeman played every game and led the team in snaps. “I want guys like that back,” Harbaugh said.
Bringing Bozeman back as a depth player makes sense. The Chargers should still be looking for a long-term starting plan at center, most likely in the draft. Pairing a rookie with Bozeman seems like a viable option. But Bozeman might be looking for a chance to start somewhere. We will see whether that chance comes on the open market. If Bozeman does not have a chance to start, he could return in a backup role. The Chargers clearly like him, and Bozeman has stated his appreciation for the organization.
The Chargers and Bradley Bozeman are open to a reunion, but the team should also be looking for a long-term upgrade. (Winslow Townson / Getty Images)
4. Earlier this week, Mack said he was mulling retirement and would decide on his future in the coming weeks after discussions with his family.
Harbaugh and Hortiz stated unequivocally that the door would be open for Mack, who turns 34 next month, to re-sign with the Chargers if he wants to play another year.
“Such a special competitor, leader, person,” Hortiz said of Mack. “It’s rare to get a guy of Khalil’s ability and get the person that he brings with it. He is a special, special person to be around. I feel blessed to have been around him, and I hope we can continue to be around him.”
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5. Joey Bosa, Mack’s edge-rushing partner, is slated for a cap hit of more than $36 million in 2025, according to Over the Cap. That feels untenable given where Bosa is in his career. The Chargers can save more than $25 million in cap space by cutting Bosa, who turns 30 in July.
When asked about Bosa’s cap hit and future with the Chargers, Hortiz said, “Those are the things we’re discussing right now.” He added that it is “possible” the Chargers will keep Bosa on his current cap hit.
6. Harbaugh said he believes Alt and Slater are “the absolute best tackle group in pro football.” Alt is on his rookie deal. Slater will enter his fifth-year option in 2025, which comes with a cap hit of over $19 million. Slater said earlier this week that it “would be great” to get a contract extension done this offseason. When asked whether the organization is open to extending Slater this offseason, Hortiz said, “Yes, we’re open to having those conversations.” An extension would almost certainly lower Slater’s 2025 cap hit.
7. Harbaugh said he plans to get an ablation procedure on his heart and a hip replacement this offseason. Harbaugh has dealt with heart arrhythmias at various points in his adult life. His most recent episode came just before the Chargers kicked off against the Denver Broncos in Week 6. He left the sideline briefly before returning and wore a heart monitor for two weeks afterward.
8. Harbaugh said he does not expect to make any changes to his coaching staff.
(Top photo of Justin Herbert: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
