Per the wire, the Chargers have terminated the contract of S Tony Jefferson after S Derwin James was reinstated from his suspension on Monday.
The Chargers were granted a roster exemption for James after his suspension was lifted. He served his one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s health and safety rules for players.
Jefferson, 32, originally signed on with the Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma back in 2013. He played out his rookie contract in Arizona before signing a four-year, $34 million contract that included $19 million guaranteed with the Ravens in 2017.
Jefferson was set to make a base salary of $7 million for the 2020 season when the Ravens released him during the offseason. The 49ers signed him to a contract in June 2021 but he ended up on injured reserve and was released with a settlement.
The Ravens signed Jefferson to their practice squad and he was on and off of their roster to close out the season, returning on a deal for the 2022 season. He signed with the Giants’ practice squad.
After a brief stint as a scout for the Ravens, Jefferson came out of retirement and signed with the Chargers in June 2024. He had a strong preseason and was among the team’s final roster cuts before being brought back to the practice squad.
In 2024, Jefferson has played in two games for the Chargers but did not record any statistics.
James, 28, is the former 17th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Chargers. He finished the fourth year of a four-year, $12.388 million dollar rookie contract that included a $7.090 million dollar signing bonus.
The Chargers then picked up his fifth-year option back in April of 2021, meaning James had one year left on his current deal and was scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent in 2023.
He returned in 2021 after missing all but five games of the 2019 season and missed the entire 2020 season due to injury. James later signed a four-year, $76.4 million extension with the Chargers back in 2022.
In 2024, James has appeared in three games for the Chargers and recorded 21 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Looking for the latest NFL Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow NFL Trade Rumors on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NFL News and Rumors for all 32 teams!
