The 2026 NFL season is still seven months away. Free agency, the NFL Draft, and a flurry of trades separate teams from what they are today and what they will eventually become. Yet the betting lines are already out, and sports media outlets are rolling out their way-too-early projections. So how does that look for the Chargers? Both surprisingly and unsurprisingly, pretty good.
The Chargers have opened as slight favorites to win the AFC West for the first time in over a decade. On ESPN’s First Take, former NFL wide receiver Andrew Hawkins even picked Los Angeles as the team to beat in the entire AFC.
While host Shae Cornette was quick to push back, noting that the Chargers often enter seasons with lofty expectations only to fall short, Hawkins’ reasoning was largely well-received.
The Chargers' offseason title might actually be real this year
It is true that the Chargers often carry the label of “offseason champions.” However, this year genuinely feels different for fans, media members, and the team itself. For starters, the Kansas City Chiefs may need time to regain their footing, and that assumes Patrick Mahomes is healthy and ready to go from Week 1.
The Denver Broncos also required nearly everything to break perfectly for Bo Nix to achieve the success he did last season. As for the Las Vegas Raiders, there is little reason to include them in this conversation just yet. While there may be signs of improvement, they still have significant ground to make up. For a team that went 5–0 in meaningful divisional games and appears poised to improve, being only slight favorites could even be viewed as a bit of a slight.
When it comes to being labeled the “team to beat” in the AFC, Los Angeles may have been the conference’s biggest “what if” this past season. All it would have taken was for one of their Pro Bowl-caliber tackles to remain healthy, and the year could have taken on an entirely different tone.
The departure of Greg Roman, whose offense often left the team playing from behind despite the occasional well-scripted outing, has also opened the door for Mike McDaniel to elevate this unit to another level.
Before even factoring in player acquisitions, which general manager Joe Hortiz has handled well through his first two seasons, the Chargers already have foundational pieces in place for a legitimate Super Bowl run.
Hortiz has hit on several draft selections, the team holds ample cap space, and there should now be a clearer alignment between the front office and the coaching staff regarding personnel needs. That combination gives Los Angeles a real opportunity to fill remaining gaps in a single offseason.
It may be early, but the whispers are growing louder. From sportsbooks to national media, the Chargers are firmly on the radar. The question remains: can they finally live up to the hype? If ever there were a moment, this appears to be it.