The Los Angeles Chargers have a potential problem lingering in Zion Johnson's unrestricted free agency.
After declining the guard's fifth-year option last offseason, Johnson had his most solid season as a pro in 2025. He finished 53rd among the 81 qualified guards in overall protection grade according to Pro Football Focus.
He was not among the league's premier guards. But on an abysmal offensive line, he was the lone bright spot for Los Angeles. Now, he will be near the top of the market as other teams seek out their own protection solutions.
Per Spotrac, he's projected to earn a three-year, $33 million contract this offseason. Given the way the market has unfolded, this feels painfully low.
This could present a tough situation for the Chargers, who will likely need replacements at both center and right guard. But Daniel Popper at The Athletic has proposed a simple solution.
If Johnson's contract number approaches $20 million annually, simply walk away and find your solution elsewhere.
"The roster puzzle fits together more easily if they can re-sign him, but he will have a sizable market. How high will the Chargers go to hang onto Johnson? If Johnson ends up in the $16 million-$17 million range in average per year, that makes some sense. If the market gets closer to $20 million APY, that changes the conversation."Daniel Popper
The market could take Zion Johnson out of Los Angeles, but that wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing
On one hand, bringing Johnson back would be ideal. He showed enough consistency at his position that pairing him with Rashawn Slater and a capable center could be enough to complete the left side of the offensive line.
It's also an important consideration here that, were they to let Johnson walk, Los Angeles would need to replace three starters along the offensive line in one offseason. That's a difficult task. The Chicago Bears pulled it off with great success last offseason, bringing in Joe Thuney, Jonah Jackson, and Drew Dalman.
That doesn't mean it's something Los Angeles should count on.
On the other hand, the Chargers already need to commit a large chunk of their cap space to internal free agents. Both Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh need to be re-signed, and there are other players on the defense, such as Da'Shawn Hand and Benjamin St-Juste, who would be nice to have back for 2026.
If Los Angeles commits too much to Johnson on his next contract, it could handicap them in their pursuit of premier targets at center and right guard. Forking out for Linderbaum and paying Johnson $20 million annually is simply untenable.
Perhaps this burden could be eased if they were able to secure a starting-caliber lineman in the first or second-round of the draft. But the principle remains the same.
The Chargers have too many needs to pay an exorbitant amount for Johnson. Joe Hortiz has already made it clear the organization is thinking this way, although he did not provide a specific threshold.
They must, therefore, draw a hard line on his next contract if they want to address the rest of their roster issues this offseason.