On the first day of free agency, the Los Angeles Chargers haven’t made many waves in terms of acquiring players from other teams, but general manager Tom Telesco made a move on Thursday to bolster the offensive line.
It was reported by several news outlets, including ESPN, that Okung has agreed to a 4-year, $53 million deal that includes $25 million guaranteed.
Chris Wesseling of NFL.com reported that the Minnesota Vikings made a late push to obtain Okung and the Denver Broncos were also looking to bring him back at a lower rate. In the end, the Chargers won the bidding war.
More from Bolt Beat
- LA Chargers: 3 early takeaways from 2021 minicamp thus far
- LA Chargers: Drue Tranquill takes a jab at Gus Bradley’s defense
- LA Chargers second-year players: Nothing to lose and a lot to gain
- LA Chargers: Why running back could be a big issue for the Bolts
- LA Chargers: Chris Rumph’s upside is Melvin Ingram-like, but better
Earlier in the week, the Chargers parted ways with their former first-round pick, D.J. Fluker, and now bring in another former first-round pick. Okung spent six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before spending a year with the Broncos.
Denver’s offensive line had as many problems as the Chargers’, if not more, and the team chose not to pick up the option on Okung for this season. So is Okung really an upgrade? That remains to be seen.
Pro Football Focus notes that Okung allowed 57 quarterback pressures last season. That was second-worst in the league and that certainly isn’t going to help Philip Rivers. Obviously, he’ll have to be better this year.
But looking at the good side of Okung, he made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and is still just 29 years old.
How do you guys feel about his move? As always, use the comment section below to tell us that you’re ecstatic or vent your frustrations. On top of that, stay tuned to Bolt Beat as we will continue to bring you all the news of the free-agent signing period.