2026 Offseason Preview: L.A. Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers have endless cash & cap to build on a strong roster
statbutler.com will be compiling offseason previews for all 32 teams in the lead up to free agency. Feel free to share any of the text/visuals below with attribution. All underlying contract data was collected by overthecap.com.
Recent Team History
The Harbaugh/Hortiz era of Chargers football has been off to a solid start all things considered, even without a playoff win. In the last two years, the Chargers have 22 regular season wins, tied for the 7th most.
2025 Season
LA’s defense was frequently the driving force behind wins in 2025. The offense turned in just 3 games above the 75th percentile all season.
Coordinator Changes
The Chargers defensive success did not go unnoticed. Coordinator Jesse Minter was tapped to replace John Harbaugh as the head coach in Baltimore. The Chargers failures on offense did not go unnoticed either. Greg Roman was fired following L.A.’s lifeless 3-point offensive showing in their playoff loss. They upgraded immediately, bringing in Mike McDaniel to lead the offense. McDaniel was thought to be a leading candidate to land another head coaching job after being fired by Miami. Chris O’Leary is returning to the franchise as defensive coordinator after spending a year in the college ranks.
Returning Players
Note that all restructures below are assumed to be max restructures. This means that the team will use void years to prorate cash across up to five seasons, minimizing amount that will hit the current year’s salary cap.
For players who are not vested veterans, I’ve replaced information about the player’s active contract with a description of the team control remaining until the player can become an unrestricted free agent.
I’m a big fan of what the Chargers have to work with on offense. They may look to bring in one more contributor at wide receiver or possibly a tight end with more blocking chops than promising rookie Oronde Gadsden II, but it’s easy to feel good about where this team is at with skill positions players. Justin Herbert remains a strong centerpiece for this team.
It was no secret that the Achillies heel for L.A. last year was their offensive line. Established left tackle Rayshawn Slater suffered a season-ending injury in training camp just two weeks after inking a huge extension. Joe Alt flipped to from right to left tackle (the position he played in college) as a result. Alt was great when available, but could only log six starts before also suffering a season-ending injury in Week 9. The interior of the Chargers offensive line did nothing to help the situation. 2025 free agency signing Mekhi Becton, Bradley Bozeman, and 2022 first-round pick Zion Johnson made up the worst interior trio in football. It’s possible the Chargers ended the season with maybe one or two offensive lineman who even qualify as solid depth pieces. Expect a big jump here when both starting tackles return and they can hit the reset button at center & guard.
L.A. already has the foundation of a solid coverage group under contract in 2026. The focus this offseason from a personnel standpoint should be replacing production lost in the pass rush. They’ve already started working toward this by retaining Teair Tart.
Expiring Contracts
Khalil Mack & Odafe Oweh are the key players here. Even with neither serving a true full-time role last season, they were a big part of the defensive success. L.A. should probably work to get at least one of them back, as this level of pass rush production will not come any cheaper later in the offseason.
Projected Cuts & Option
I’m not including ERFA eligible players here (expiring contracts with less than 3 accrued seasons), as they can either sign a league minimum contract or the team can allow them to leave.
I have the Chargers starting with a clean slate on the interior offensive line this offseason, releasing Bradley Bozeman and Mekhi Becton. Becton is set to earn $10m (all non-guaranteed) in 2026, including $2.5m due in a roster bonus on March 13th. I also suspect they’ll look to part ways with TE Will Dissly. I don’t think Bud Dupree will be cut, but he’s on the cut/retirement radar.
L.A. will need to decide if they want to pick up the 5th year option on WR Quentin Johnston’s rookie contract this spring. His case is one of the tougher calls in 2023 class. At an estimated $18m, his fully guaranteed option year will likely make him one of the top 32 highest paid WRs in 2027. It’s a little pricey for a player who has had a tendency to disappear from time-to-time, but I think they’ll pick it up.
The Salary Cap
In the image below, each blue bordered rectangle is equivalent to the cap hit of a single player. Within that rectangle, there are more rectangles that break down the player’s cap hit. Areas colored green can be pushed entirely into a future cap years via max restructure. Areas with vertical bars are “locked in” and the team cannot open them up by releasing the player. They represent either fully guaranteed cash that hasn’t been earned yet or remaining proration from cash earned in previous league years.
I sometimes see analysts refer to a team’s cap situation as “clean”. This would accurately describe where the Chargers are. I would posit, however, that “clean” is just another way to say “empty”. A team with a franchise QB in his prime, a pair of great tackles, a couple decent young weapons on offense, and a defense coming off back-to-back seasons in the 80th percentile should not want to see a cap sheet this lean. With a few more pieces, I’d put this team up against any other. The problem is that you can only spend so much responsibly in one offseason. If they take a few more chances in previous offseasons, this might be a team that is already shaping up as a Super Bowl favorite. I still believe they can become a top-tier contender, they’d just have a clearer path with a few more boxes checked off. L.A.’s current state should be a cautionary tale to teams that are too patient waiting for their window.
Based on the assumptions above, I have the Chargers currently penciled in to spend $181m, lower than any team in the league. They have a few extensions they can put money toward, but most of their spending should be geared to taking on an expensive star or two (someone like Trey Hendrickson, Tyler Linderbaum, or even a trade for A.J. Brown or George Pickens) that can elevate them to a true contender. I really like this team and think there is potential to break out in 2026 if they’re willing to take a leap of faith.
Draft Capital
Trades for Odafe Oweh and Elijah Molden cost L.A. their fifth & seventh round picks in this draft respectively. Currently, OverTheCap projects the team will add an extra sixth as a compensatory pick. This collection of picks comes in at 22nd most valuable on my trade based pick value chart, matching when the Chargers will make their first selection.