Taking a look at the top 10 Los Angeles Chargers under contract in 2026, NFL salary cap projections and the team’s highest-paid players.
The Los Angeles Chargers found some success this year under Jim Harbaugh, but injuries to their offensive line considerably limited the team’s playoff run. Now, Los Angeles looks to enter the 2026 season with a new offensive coordinator as Mike McDaniel joined the Chargers from Miami. Will his innovation on offense be enough to get the Chargers deep into the playoffs?
Below, we will take a look at the 10 best players that the Los Angeles Chargers still have under contract for next season. We will also look at NFL salary cap projections and the top cap hits on the team in 2026.
All Los Angeles Chargers salary cap data below is accurate as of February 21st, 2026.
10 Best Los Angeles Chargers Under Contract in 2026
These are the 10 best players the Los Angeles Chargers still have under contract for the 2026 season, in the order of their current salary cap hit. For those who know ball, you will recognize that these are the team’s 10 best players and not just the players that journalism nerds think they need to talk about.
- Justin Herbert, QB ($46.3M)
- Derwin James, S ($24.6M)
- Rashawn Slater, OT ($23.8M)
- Joe Alt, OT ($9.04M)
- Donte Jackson, CB ($8.5M)
- Tuli Tuipulotu, EDGE ($6.3M)
- Omarion Hampton, HB ($4.03M)
- Daiyan Henley, LB ($3.9M)
- Ladd McConkey, WR ($2.7M)
- Tarheeb Still, CB ($1.2M)
Highest Los Angeles Chargers Cap Hits in 2026
As things stand today, here is a list of the 10 highest player hits against the Los Angeles Chargers’ salary cap in 2026. Obviously, contracts can be manipulated, and a player could be cut or traded as well. In the case of a release, we have listed a player’s dead cap. This is how much money they would count against the cap if they are cut from the team.
- QB, Justin Herbert, $46.3M ($72.8M dead cap)
- S, Derwin James, $24.6M ($7.1M)
- OT, Rashawn Slater, $23.8M ($41.2M)
- G, Mekhi Becton, $12.2M ($2.5M)
- OT, Joe Alt, $9.04M ($10.5M)
- CB, Donte Jackson, $8.5M ($2.5M)
- S, Elijah Molden, $7.9M ($9.8M)
- C, Bradley Bozeman, $6.9M ($1.06M)
- EDGE, Tuli Tuipulotu, $6.3M ($445K)
- DL, Teair Tart, $6.02M ($15M)
NFL Salary Cap Projections 2026
The league has informed teams that the 2026 NFL salary cap will be between $301.2 million and $305.7 million per team. Below, we will assume a salary cap of $303.45 million, using data from Spotrac.
| Rk | TM | Current Players | Cap Space | Dead Cap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | TEN | 52 | $97,776,638 | $5,135,657 |
| 2 | LV | 49 | $87,821,212 | $35,238,302 |
| 3 | LAC | 52 | $82,100,325 | $478,183 |
| 4 | NYJ | 51 | $78,990,889 | $88,996,619 |
| 5 | WAS | 52 | $66,506,531 | $12,592,731 |
| 6 | SEA | 57 | $63,421,971 | $483,724 |
| 7 | CIN | 63 | $52,675,496 | $11,248,222 |
| 8 | PIT | 60 | $44,768,173 | $7,934,338 |
| 9 | LAR | 53 | $44,390,412 | $8,570,436 |
| 10 | IND | 60 | $34,952,488 | $2,093,644 |
| 11 | NE | 64 | $34,800,699 | $20,364,345 |
| 12 | ARI | 59 | $32,813,790 | $14,951,854 |
| 13 | ATL | 50 | $26,181,296 | $4,660,354 |
| 14 | DEN | 55 | $26,033,090 | $1,218,922 |
| 15 | BAL | 48 | $22,673,001 | $12,262,715 |
| 16 | SF | 59 | $22,453,414 | $36,327,740 |
| 17 | TB | 52 | $14,479,885 | $253,922 |
| 18 | CAR | 54 | $9,875,093 | $14,607,844 |
| 19 | NYG | 58 | $7,030,099 | $216,988 |
| 20 | PHI | 56 | $3,679,036 | $53,387,574 |
| 21 | MIA | 52 | -$3,699,267 | $73,949,385 |
| 22 | GB | 66 | -$4,344,831 | $17,171,715 |
| 23 | HOU | 54 | -$8,042,142 | $39,318,780 |
| 24 | DET | 49 | -$9,151,960 | $9,287,290 |
| 25 | CHI | 53 | -$9,503,349 | $917,995 |
| 26 | JAX | 61 | -$12,074,552 | $50,977,118 |
| 27 | KC | 54 | -$14,403,869 | $215,642 |
| 28 | BUF | 59 | -$15,187,073 | $30,093,166 |
| 29 | CLE | 55 | -$19,541,898 | $39,763,849 |
| 30 | DAL | 54 | -$25,890,723 | $24,344,178 |
| 31 | MIN | 54 | -$40,632,414 | $5,608,074 |
| 32 | NO | 66 | -$41,774,364 | $90,590,412 |
