Chargers Release S Tony Jefferson

After stints with the Cardinals, 49ers, Ravens and Giants from 2013-22, Jefferson retired and took a scouting position with the Ravens in 2023. A year later, he decided to resume his career. In joining the Chargers in 2024, he reunited with general manager Joe Hortiz and then-defensive coordinator Jesse Minter. Jefferson previously crossed paths with those two in Baltimore (Minter left the Chargers to become the Ravens’ head coach this past offseason).

Although Jefferson did not make the Chargers’ initial roster in 2024, they quickly re-signed him to their practice squad. He went on to play eight games (four starts) and record 27 tackles. The Chargers re-signed Jefferson in March 2025, only to go the same route with him in late August. After releasing him, they brought him back to their practice squad.

The Chargers traded safety Alohi Gilman to the Ravens last October, clearing a path for Jefferson to make a far bigger impact than he did the previous season. While playing 492 defensive snaps, most of which came at free safety, the 34-year-old racked up 57 tackles, seven pass breakups and a team-high four interceptions (tied with cornerback Donte Jackson). The 5-foot-11, 212-pounder impressed Pro Football Focus, which rated him as the league’s 24th-best safety out of 91 qualifiers, and the Chargers re-upped him on a one-year, $1.5MM pact in March.

The Chargers guaranteed Jefferson $1.4MM, which will stay on their books as a dead cap hit, though perhaps this will be the third straight summer they work out a new arrangement after his release. Otherwise, under new D-coordinator Chris O’Leary, the Chargers could forward with R.J. Mickens, fourth-round rookie Genesis Smith and Kendall Williamson behind starters Derwin James and Elijah Molden.