After making a concerted effort to upgrade their offensive line this offseason, the Los Angeles Chargers showed they are still far from settled.
The Athletic reported Thursday that Los Angeles has declined the fifth-year option on Zion Johnson, setting up the former first-round pick for free agency following the upcoming season.
The option would have paid Johnson $17.56 million in 2026, a hefty sum given his inconsistent play. Selected 17th overall in 2022 out of Boston College, the 6-foot-3, 316-pound Johnson has started 49 games at guard. Despite that durability, Johnson hasn’t quite lived up to expectations.
Last season, for instance, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 47th-best guard out of 136 qualified players with a 65.7 grade. Furthermore, he was just 61st in pass protection. Johnson is expected to get reps at center this offseason in hopes of adding versatility up front. Notably, he will have veteran competition in returning starter Bradley Bozeman.
“I think he can (play center). I really do,” Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said of Johnson in February. “I know he’s working at it right now. And so I think Zion can do it and we got other guys you don’t really know yet.
“They were younger, not as much opportunity, that have been working at it as well.”
Fortifying the Offensive Line a Priority for LA
Christian Petersen/Getty The Los Angeles Chargers will not be picking up the fifth-year option for former first round pick Zion Johnson.
The Chargers added a marquee piece to their line in March, signing guard Mekhi Becton to a two-year, $20 million contract.
The 6-7, 363-pound Becton is coming off a renaissance season in which he started 19 games for the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. He was part of a unit that helped pave the way for Saquon Barkley to rush for more than 2,000 yards en route to NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Assuming Becton can avoid the injury issues that plagued him earlier in his career, he figures to significantly upgrade the interior of the
Chargers’ offensive line as they try to project quarterback Justin Herbert.
Herbert was sacked a career-high 41 times during the 2024 regular season — tied for seventh-most in the NFL — and four more times in an AFC playoff loss to the Houston Texans. The Chargers finished 11th in scoring (23.6 points per game) and 20th in total offense (324.2 yards per game) in coach Jim Harbaugh’s first season.
Los Angeles is entrenched at both tackle spots with Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. The team also added Branson Taylor, an offensive tackle out of Pittsburgh, in the sixth round (199 overall) of the draft.
Competition Awaits Johnson
Gregory Shamus/Getty The Chargers added former Eagles and Jets guard Mekhi Becton in free agency.
When asked at the combine about how all the pieces may fit, Hortiz said unequivocally the best players will start.
“We’ll put our best five out there, whatever it is,” he said. “Best five out there.”
Thus, Johnson and others will need to prove they belong.
Los Angeles deciding to decline Johnson’s fifth-year option should come as no surprise. Johnson has never graded particularly well, and the price tag is significant. According to Over the Cap, it’d place him among the 10 highest-paid guards in annual salary.
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