Under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, the Los Angeles Chargers have no shortage of potential breakout candidates.
There's room for both Omarion Hampton and Keaton Mitchell to take major leaps in McDaniel's outside zone-heavy scheme. The team's projected use of 21 personnel, with Alec Ingold slated to operate as a lead blocker, ensures that. Despite the noise surrounding Oronde Gadsden II's place on the depth chart with the team's addition of David Njoku, there's also major room for the second-year pass-catcher to continue to play a major role.
But the downfield passing game is what should truly open up the offense to explosive plays, and fourth-year wide receiver Quentin Johnston will have a massive part to play in that development.
Pro Football Network recently highlighted Johnston as their primary breakout candidate for the Chargers in 2026. While it's relatively easy to project a jump in the consistency of Johnston's downfield opportunities under McDaniel, it's their mention of Johnston's eventual extension that takes on a major importance in this context.
"The Los Angeles Chargers picked up Quentin Johnston’s fifth-year option, though a lot has changed since he got drafted. It’s a new head coach and a new general manager since he was a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. His production has improved each year he’s been in the NFL, but he’s yet to reach 750 receiving yards in a single season. He might get an extension, but he won’t earn as much at his current rate of production." Pro Football Network
At Johnston's current rate of production, his extension in 2028 should be manageable. But if we see a major leap in the next two years, things could quickly get out of hand for Los Angeles.
Quentin Johnston could command a major payday if takes strides under Mike McDaniel
The basis of McDaniel's passing offense is typical of West Coast-style schemes. He wants to get the ball out of the quarterback's hands quickly and capitalize on the speed of his wide receivers in the short and intermediate parts of the field. Johnston should have a part to play in that aspect of the offense. But he's also the Chargers' most formidable downfield threat, and he'll likely be the piece McDaniel goes to when he's looking for an explosive play over the top of the defense.
To this point in his career, Johnston's potential for major production has only been shown in flashes. Across his first four games in 2025, he posted 337 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 22 receptions. When injuries and the overall shortcomings of the offense caught up to him, however, that production slowed down dramatically. Between Weeks 5 and 14, Johnston posted just 196 yards on 20 receptions. He rebounded in Weeks 16 and 17, but the issue was clear.
Johnston has been unable to maintain consistent production over the course of a whole season to this point in his career.
With the hope of a major breakout, inking his fifth-year option made perfect sense on the Chargers' part. He'll earn a hefty $16.5 million in 2027 before he hits the open market that offseason, but Los Angeles has an easy way out of the contract if things don't go according to plan.
But if Johnston can string together some consistent production over the next two seasons, perhaps even cracking the 1,000-yard threshold for the first time in his career, he could quickly come to command a massive annual salary on his second contract. Christian Watson, for example, just signed four-year, $92 million extension with the Green Bay Packers. He has yet to stay healthy for the full duration of a season, and his single-season high for receiving yards was set in 2024 at 620.
As the wide receiver market continues to take shape over the next two seasons, Johnston has a chance to capitalize. If his looming breakout becomes a reality, however, the Chargers could be left footing a hefty bill for the pass-catcher when his free agency ultimately arrives.
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