The Chargers regularly boast some of the best bargain contracts in the NFL. Just how well do their deals look compared to the league’s highest-paid players?

Tom Telesco, the general manager of the Chargers, has been phenomenal working with cap space allocated to both signing new free agents and retaining draft picks. Most of the contracts given to players feel like bargains, but that doesn’t mean Telesco has been cheap: The Chargers are 18th in terms of available cap space this season with just $12.9 million available. How do some of these contracts compare to the league’s highest-paid players?

All contracts are courtesy of Spotrac.com, and only take guaranteed money at signing into consideration.

Chargers contracts: Quarterback

Highest-paid: Matt Ryan, Falcons: $94.5 million

Chargers: Philip Rivers: $37.5 million

It’s unlikely Rivers will eclipse the deal Ryan received, but a raise is certainly in order for the Chargers’ franchise quarterback. At nearly $60 million guaranteed less than the highest-paid man, Rivers’ next deal is one of the two most important contracts for Tom Telesco. Expect him to get something like the two-year extension Ben Roethlisberger received.

Chargers contracts: Wide receiver

Highest-paid: Odell Beckham Jr., Browns: $40.959 million

Chargers: Keenan Allen, $20.656 million

In line for another deal in 2021 at just 29 years old, Allen represents a huge bargain contract as the 16th-highest paid receiver in the league. 15 other receivers do not deserve as much as one of the NFL’s elite, but as one will see throughout this article, Telesco’s Chargers all outperform their contracts.