The Los Angeles Chargers had a terrific season marred by a devastating postseason defeat. After making their second playoff appearance with Justin Herbert and new head coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm, LA was dominated by the Houston Texans, losing 32-12.
Herbert himself had the worst game of his career, and a below-average Chargers offense paid the price heavily. However, one prominent free agent signing might give the team new life, according to the latest offseason predictions.
Los Angeles Chargers and Justin Herbert Get Best Available Free Agent
Throughout the year, Harbaugh maintained a dedicated ground game, trying to diversify the Chargers’ offense. It led to one of the worst seasons of Herbert’s career, as he finished 14th on PFN’s QB+ metric.
However, the situation got way worse in the playoffs. Without a true threat beyond rookie Ladd McConkey, the offense sputtered, and Herbert coughed up four interceptions en route to a career-worst passer rating of 40.9.
But, according to Yardbarker, that could come to a change. On their list of predictions for this offseason, one of the key names coming to Los Angeles is the best available free agent as ranked by PFSN, Tee Higgins.
As Yardbarker writes, “Higgins is arguably the top free agent available, and plenty of teams need receiver help. The wide receiver depth is lacking in LA for Justin Herbert, and the Chargers have more flexibility this offseason after making some tough decisions last offseason.”
Last season, Higgins finished the year with 911 yards and 10 touchdowns despite appearing in just 12 games as the designated WR2 for the Cincinnati Bengals. With an expanded role in Los Angeles, those numbers could explode.
Nonetheless, the question for Higgins is his injury history. As PFSN, while ranking him as the best free agent of the offseason, accurately stated, “The biggest Achilles heel for Higgins right now is his health. He has missed a total of 10 games over the past two seasons and has not played a full season since his rookie year.”
Even the 12 games he played this season had reports of the star playmaker slugging it out despite injuries. That determination might be respected, but it might not be the best course of action for a team that needs consistency.
However, when on the field, he is nothing short of electric. Despite playing second fiddle to Ja’Marr Chase, Higgins has 4,595 receiving yards in the last five seasons.
As a result, his asking price might vary from team to team, depending on their level of desperation. While the Chargers could certainly make a run for him, paying him top-of-the-market value might not be in their best interests.
