Heading into the offseason, the secondary was a major area of concern that the Los Angeles Chargers needed to address.
While they received some exceptional play from their defensive backs last year, many of them were on expiring deals.
Because of this, it was imperative that Los Angeles either re-sign some of the back-end talent or obtain some through free agency or the draft.
The secondary is currently headed by second-year studs Cam Hart and Tarheeb Still, so the Chargers will probably want to secure the future of the defense through the draft.
However, for the short-term, the team is bringing back a valuable depth piece whose adaptability was key last year.
Jordan Schultz of ESPN announced Monday night that Los Angeles is re-signing safety Tony Jefferson who came out of retirement last offseason to play for the team.
Jefferson played sparingly last season, but was surprisingly productive when on the field, tallying 27 tackles across eight games and four starts.
Sources: The #Chargers are re-signing free agent safety Tony Jefferson to a 1-year deal.
After coming out of retirement in 2024, Jefferson had 27 tackles and 1 TFL for the Bolts in eight games. pic.twitter.com/ibGXpRcG67
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 24, 2025
After going undrafted in 2013, the Oklahoma standout clawed out a roster spot with the Arizona Cardinals.
He was able to parlay that momentum into a $34 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens in 2017 and the rest is history.
Jefferson established himself as one of the better safeties in the league, but eventually injuries and father time forced him to retire a few seasons ago.
After leaving the NFL for just one season, the 11-year veteran came out of retirement to play for the Chargers, so he clearly is a fan of head coach Jim Harbaugh and the culture he's working towards building.
For the Chargers, on the field, this move is pretty insignificant because Jefferson likely won't play a whole lot.
But he's proven to be dependable in spot starts in the event of an injury and is a great mentor for the budding superstars in the Los Angeles secondary.
Related: Chargers Bring Back Former Los Angeles Star WR
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This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 6:37 PM.