The Chargers didn't extend Guyton (knee) a qualifying offer or contract tender as a restricted free agent Wednesday, so he's officially an unrestricted free agent, per the NFL's transaction log.
Guyton is currently rehabbing from an ACL tear he suffered during Week 3 of 2022 campaign, and it's unclear when he'll be 100 percent healthy. The undrafted wideout out of North Texas caught 59 of 103 targets for 959 yards and six touchdowns across his first two NFL seasons in Los Angeles, but he'll likely have to prove he's back to full strength before securing a new deal.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Shifts to injured reserve
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The Chargers placed Guyton (knee) on injured reserve Tuesday, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com reports.
Guyton suffered a torn ACL during Sunday's loss to the Jaguars and has been ruled out for the remainder of the season. The speedster was a solid deep threat for the Chargers over the prior two seasons, but he'd only seen 29 snaps and four targets through three games this year as Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter had surpassed him on the depth chart, so his absence won't have much of an impact on the team's passing game.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Out for season
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Guyton suffered a torn ACL during Sunday's loss to the Jaguars and will miss the remainder of the 2022 campaign, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports.
Guyton caught two of three targets for 64 yards before getting hurt on Los Angeles' meaningless final drive with the game long decided. The wideout has been a solid deep threat over the past two-plus campaigns, catching 59 passes for 959 yards and six touchdowns, so his absence will be a significant blow to the Chargers offense.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Knee injury could be serious
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Guyton suffered a knee injury in Sunday's 38-10 loss to Jacksonville, and there are early fears that the injury is significant, Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Guyton caught two of three targets for 64 yards before getting hurt on Los Angeles' meaningless final drive with the game long decided. Another update on Guyton's status will surface after the team performs additional testing, but he's most likely looking at a multi-week absence at minimum, as Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports that Guyton left the locker room on crutches.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Completely absent in win
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Guyton did not record a reception on his lone target in Sunday's 24-19 win over the Raiders.
Guyton saw just five offensive snaps despite a midgame injury to Keenan Allen (hamstring). After an uneven training camp in which Guyton clearly fell behind both Joshua Palmer and DeAndre Carter on the depth chart, it's obvious the speedster has completely fallen out of favor with the coaching staff and likely shouldn't be rostered in most fantasy formats.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Pair of grabs in preseason opener
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Guyton brought in both targets for six yards in the Chargers' 29-22 preseason loss to the Rams on Saturday night.
Guyton wasn't able to do much with his pair of touches, although the teammate he's still hoping to beat out for the No. 3 receiver job, Joshua Palmer, couldn't corral any of his four targets. Guyton does have the edge on Palmer in experience after appearing in 35 games over the past three seasons, but it appears from recent practices the latter has the edge in the job battle.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Losing ground for WR3
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Guyton has seemingly been surpassed by Joshua Palmer for the No. 3 role, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
Palmer had worked with the starting unit for most of the offseason OTAs, something that has clearly carried over into the early stages of training camp. Popper did note Guyton has put together a solid camp and likely could be used in specific sub packages whenever the team needs additional speed on the field, but it's hardly a ringing endorsement for the 25-year-old after two consecutive seasons as a starter. It doesn't seem as if Guyton is on the roster bubble yet, but special teams standouts such as DeAndre Carter, Joe Reed and Trevon Bradford could provide extra roster utility, which might make the decision a bit more complicated as the preseason progresses.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Draws praise for special teams work
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Guyton earned rave reviews from Chargers head coach Brandon Staley for his performance on special teams during OTAs, Gavino Borquez of USA Today reports.
As a capable returner and special teams gunner, Guyton looks as though he'll have a key role in 2022 on the Chargers' third unit. Guyton's outlook on the offensive end is more muddled, however, after Joshua Palmer was spotted working with the first-team offense during offseason workouts. Expect the two to have a spirited battle for the No. 3 wideout role throughout training camp.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Signs exclusive rights tender
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Guyton officially signed his exclusive rights free agent tender Tuesday and will remain with the Chargers this coming season, Field Yates of ESPN reports.
The 24-year-old finished the 2021 campaign third among Los Angeles' wide receivers in terms of yardage (448), while logging 31 receptions on 48 targets and three touchdowns in 16 games. Beyond competing for reps behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, Guyton could also contribute in the return game, as the Chargers haven't re-signed last season's primary returner Andre Roberts.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: To receive contract tender
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The Chargers are slated to extend a contract tender to Guyton, Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus reports.
As a result, Guyton -- an exclusive rights free agent -- is poised to reclaim his role in the Chargers offense in 2022. The 24-year-old is coming off a 2021 campaign in which he logged 31 catches (on 48 targets) for 448 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games. This coming season Guyton will continue to work behind the team's top pass-catching options, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, while competing with Joshua Palmer and possibly others for No. 3 wideout reps.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Catches two passes in win
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Guyton caught both of his targets for 10 yards in Sunday's 34-13 win over the Broncos.
Guyton and teammate Joshua Palmer shared the Chargers' No. 3 receiver role Week 17 after Mike Williams (illness) activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list prior to the contest. Guyton played on 32 of the Chargers' 67 offensive naps, while Palmer played just one fewer snap.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Activated from COVID-19 list
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The Chargers activated Guyton (illness) from the reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday.
Guyton wasn't available during last week's loss to Houston, but he's been cleared with plenty of time to spare before Sunday's game against the Broncos. Mike Williams remains on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and while there's still a solid chance Williams returns this week as well, for now, Guyton tentatively slots in as the No. 2 wide receiver behind Keenan Allen.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Not cleared for Week 16
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The Chargers didn't activate Guyton (illness) from the reserve-COVID-19 list ahead of Sunday's game against the Texans, Daniel Popper of The Athletic reports.
With fellow wideout Mike Williams also having been placed on the list, Joshua Palmer now has an opportunity to serve as the Chargers' No. 2 wideout behind Keenan Allen until Guyton and Williams clear the NFL's COVID protocols.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Lands on COVID list
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Guyton (illness) has been placed on the reserve-COVID-19 list, Aaron Wilson of Sportstalk 790 Houston reports.
Guyton joins a growing list of Chargers on the list, and if he's unable to gain clearance to play Sunday against the Texans, Joshua Palmer would be a candidate for added snaps alongside Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Shines in win
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Guyton caught all three of his targets for 87 yards and a touchdown in a 37-21 win over the Giants on Sunday.
After a disappointing start to the season in which the wideout did not record a touchdown through 12 weeks, Guyton has had back-to-back strong games with at least 87-plus yards and a touchdown. The 24-year-old has shined as the Chargers' deep-threat option, catching a 59-yard touchdown pass and a 44-yard touchdown pass over the past two weeks. The wideout's deep-ball ability has opened up a lot of offensive production underneath as defenses have now started to worry about the long pass. In the absence of star wide receiver Keenan Allen (COVID-19), Guyton, along with rookie Joshua Palmer, have stepped up to keep Los Angeles' high-powered offense going.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: First TD of 2021
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Guyton caught all four of his targets for 90 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 41-22 win over the Bengals.
Guyton made an impressive 44-yard catch against man coverage, coming down with a nifty jump ball for his first score of the 2021 season. The rarely utilized wide receiver also saw his most targets since Week 6, capitalizing on quarterback Justin Herbert's willingness to spread the ball around Sunday. Don't expect Guyton to emerge as a crucial target most weeks as the Chargers have become heavily dependent on a narrow target tree of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams and Austin Ekeler.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Grabs key catch on fourth down
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Guyton caught two of his three targets for 23 yards in Sunday's 28-13 loss to the Broncos.
The Chargers never managed to gain much traction against a stifling Broncos defense, but Guyton did help the team with a critical 15-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-4 near the end of the third quarter. The drive ultimately ended thanks to an ill-timed interception, but that reception was arguably one of Guyton's lone highlights of the season to date. The speed threat now has back-to-back games playing at least 50 percent of the offensive snaps, but the extra workload predictably hasn't generated extra fantasy volume as the Chargers' narrow target tree hasn't included the third-year wideout.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Zero catches in loss
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Guyton did not catch a pass and had just one target in Sunday's 27-20 loss to Minnesota.
Guyton's disappointing season continues as he was unable to catch a pass for the second time this season. The 24-year-old was only on the field for 31 percent of offensive snaps, a number significantly less than his season average. Not only did the young receiver put up nothing offensively, but Josh Palmer, his main competition for the No. 3 wide receiver spot, caught three passes for 22 yards. Look for Guyton's workload to continue to decrease as he splits offensive snaps with Palmer.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Does little in win
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Guyton caught one of his two targets for nine yards and also registered two carries for 20 yards in the 28-14 win over the Raiders on Monday.
Guyton once again saw a healthy 42 offensive snaps, whereas No. 4 wideout, Josh Palmer, saw a paltry seven total, but the speedy option once again did little with the playing time. After seeing five targets in Week 1, Guyton has more carries (four) than catches (three) over the last three weeks, essentially reverting back to his 2020 days as an offensive decoy.
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Chargers' Jalen Guyton: Carries once Sunday
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Guyton didn't catch his lone target but rushed once for three yards in Sunday's 30-24 win over the Chiefs.
Guyton handled 41 offensive snaps (62 percent) but couldn't beat out Mike Williams, Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler for a piece of the target pie. The 24-year-old has deep-threat appeal and could be used on gadget plays, but he's not a dependable fantasy option.
