The Los Angeles Chargers have secured their center for the next era of the team, inking Tyler Biadasz to a three-year, $30 million deal early Friday morning.
While Biadasz's annual value is no small sum, this is a definitive move toward security. Not only were the Chargers able to lock down their position of greatest need days before free agency even started, but they avoided a potential bidding war for Tyler Linderbaum's services. If they had instead opted to pursue Linderbaum, they could have been left footing a bill that exceeded $20 million annually.
The specifics of the Biadasz deal have not yet been revealed. But it's likely that his cap hit for 2026 falls below the $10 million annual value on the deal he signed. This will leave Los Angeles ample flexibility to pursue their other impending free agents and fill out their open guard spots.
Combined with the recents releases of Mekhi Becton and Will Dissly, it now seems almost certain that left guard Zion Johnson will return for 2026.
The financial space for Zion Johnson has now been decisively cleared
Filling three position along the offensive line in one offseason is no small task, even if one of the positions is occupied by an internal free agent. After a strong season in 2025 on an abysmal Los Angeles offensive line, Johnson was set to be prohibitively expensive given the team's needs at other positions.
Per Daniel Popper, it's expected that Johnson's market could exceed $20 million this offseason with the interest he's generated around the league.
That price seems almost too high for a guard of Johnson's caliber. Per Pro Football Focus, Johnson was the 53rd-best guard among 81 qualified players at the position in overall protection grade. Perhaps this will improve with reliable starters on either side of him.
But it's a gamble to bring Johnson back at that AAV, no matter how you spin it.
At the same time, bringing in Linderbaum would have severely handicapped the Chargers' ability to bring in capable starters at either guard spot. Biadasz's signing likely leaves Los Angeles with an extra $10-12 million compared to Linderbaum's projected annual value. Combined with the $9.7 million the Becton and Dissly releases opened up, the team should have more than enough flexibility to bring back Johnson and also make serious bids for Oweh and Mack's services
For better or for worse, the Chargers appear poised to extend Johnson a second contract.