Despite having the most cap space in the NFL heading into free agency, the LA Chargers didn't do much spending. General manager Joe Hortiz operated around the fringes, which resulted in internal free agents Odafe Oweh and Zion Johnson both signing elsewhere.
Oweh signed a four-year, $100 million contract with the Washington Commanders that should net the Chargers a valuable compensatory pick. Johnson secured a three-year, $49.5 million contract with the Cleveland Browns, which was a bit surprising given how he has played thus far.
Both departures hurt the Chargers, especially considering the team did very little to replace either player. Now, the edge and left guard positions are two primary needs in the NFL Draft. It all boils down to money, just ask Hortiz. The Chargers GM confirmed to reporters on Thursday that the Bolts were in on both players and were simply outbid.
Chargers GM Joe Hortiz on losing Odafe Oweh and Zion Johnson in free agency: “We made offers to them. We were in the hunt.”
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) April 16, 2026
Says they had a number they valued them at and wouldn’t go above it.
Chargers refused to pay Odafe Oweh and Zion Johnson in free agency
There you have it. This wasn't a case of Oweh and Johnson choosing to play somewhere else other than the Chargers because of situational factors. This was a case of the Chargers simply being outbid by two teams that were more desperate than they were.
For fans of the respective players, this may sting. And while it doesn't resolve the overall lack of spending by the Chargers, Hortiz was right to stay firm on his price.
As great as Oweh was last season, he hasn't shown the ability to produce at that level consistently throughout his career. He turned a great few months with the Chargers into a massive payday. If he was never traded by Baltimore, he signs for half of what he ended up signing for at most.
Cleveland simply overpaid for a former first-round guard who just finally had a serviceable season in year four. It's understandable for the Chargers to look at the bigger picture with both Johnson and Oweh instead of getting caught up in recent hype. The extensive history justifies the Chargers' decisions.
That being said, this doesn't excuse the Chargers' overall lack of spending. The Chargers don't have to go out and spend top-tier money in free agency, but they can do more than operate around the fringes. There is a happy medium that a lot of great front offices find that the Chargers simply avoided entertaining.
In a vacuum, letting Oweh and Johnson walk makes perfect sense. When coupled with the rest of the free-agent spending, or lack thereof, it makes these comments harder to swallow. This is a team that should commit any and all resources to winning a Super Bowl. Hortiz has not done that this offseason.
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