Gerald Everett will test the market after two seasons with the Chargers. In his 2022 season, Everett extended his streak of seven straight seasons with an increasing receiving yards total. He was a beacon of consistency, especially when his services were needed most with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams missing in action for long stretches.
In 2023, Everett had 58 receptions for 411 yards. In the grand scheme of things, it wasn’t far off from the same ballpark that his single-season career numbers usually gravitated toward. But it was the lowest yards per reception mark of the veteran tight end’s career at 8.6.
Jim Harbaugh makes tight ends a rather critical focal point of his offensive approach relative to Kellen Moore. As the Chargers gravitate towards a more physical style of offense with him and Greg Roman at the helm, it’s worth seeing where the roster currently stands at the position. Will the team keep Everett? Is it a clean slate start? Could someone like Georgia star Brock Bowers be in play?
In continuing our offseason position preview series, let’s turn to the tight end room entering the offseason.
Under contract
Donald Parham ($1.33M cap hit)
Stone Smartt ($987K cap hit)
Parham signed a two-year extension with the Chargers last offseason. On a technical level, Parham’s usage increased and he had the best production of his career with 285 yards, 27 receptions, and four touchdowns. Unfortunately, it just never felt like he was that consistent of a fixture on offense throughout the year, and he did come up with some unfortunate drops at critical times. Still, Parham’s an OK second tight end for what he’s asked to do on his current contract.
Outside of Parham, Smartt got some receiving burn later in the year after showing some skills in the preseason. He had 155 receiving yards, most of which came during the back half of the season. The blocking portion of his game still hasn’t quite come together yet, which forced the team to seek some outside help in signing Nick Vannett. On a cheap futures deal, Smartt will be extended the opportunity to make the roster. But he’s far from a lock depending on the rest of the Chargers’ offseason.
Pending free agents
TE Gerald Everett
TE Nick Vannett
As mentioned earlier, Everett heads into the free agency pool for the third time in his career. He’ll turn 30 as he enters his eighth NFL season.
Everett has put up good production in LA for the cost of his contract while he’s been here. But with a new change in leadership fully away from the regime that signed him, it’s worth wondering where his place in the offense is. Is he OK being the number two in a world where the Chargers take an early tight end in the draft? Does he meet Harbaugh’s traditional high expectations for his blockers?
For what it’s worth: PFF currently has Everett as somewhat of a bargain projection in free agency. In their Top 150 NFL free agents list, the market valuation for him is currently a one-year deal worth $5.5M.
Vannett is largely an afterthought, but he did string some decent pass-blocking games together in 2023. After being signed following the release of Tre’ McKitty, he did his best to fill the void on the team.
2024 Outlook
The outlook for 2024 is less about the play from the 2023 Chargers’ tight end group and more about the philosophical adjustment going forward. Which players fit into a Harbaugh-Roman offense and blocking scheme will determine a lot going forward.
At the valuation he’s currently projected at, bringing back Everett makes sense to me. He’s a reliable tight end who doesn’t seem like he will necessarily have a hot market for his services.
On top of that, the money they’d spend on Everett wouldn’t prevent them from making other moves. There would definitely still be some supplementary tight ends they could sign to fit the scheme.
It certainly wouldn’t prevent the Chargers from being active in the draft either, whether that means drafting a Brock Bowers-level prospect or picking up multiple tight ends in later rounds.
Harbaugh and Roman are going to want to bring physicality to their tight end unit and as currently constructed, it’s safe to say the Chargers will make changes.
