Today’s Hottest Take: Make Or Break Offseason

The new regime of Hortiz/Harbaugh received a lot of criticism last season for their tempered approach to free agency, despite having north of 100 million in spending money, followed by spending a first-round pick on a running back. A feeling of disappointment compounded by their marquee free-agent pickup, Mehki Becton, being a cut candidate one year later after a struggle-filled year in LA. Things like bringing back Bradley Bozeman at center and letting Poona Ford walk for cheap stung even more when they were eliminated by a New England Patriots team that had similar resources last year and actually spent the money.

Fast forward to this year, where the Chargers front office once again has plenty of money to spend and plenty of holes to address. By all accounts, they already nailed the coaching hires, bringing in Mike McDaniel and Chris O’Leary (click here if you’d like to learn more about the newly minted DC!), so now it’s on the front office to nail the player personnel in the coming months, they’re already off to a better start with the Teair Tart extension getting done early in the offseason, especially knowing now that the AFC is still wide open. A healthy Chargers team with some added talent could find itself in the conference driver's seat. Still, another nothing-burger offseason could once again waste a year of Justin Herbert’s prime and lead to questions about the long-term prognosis of the Joe Hortiz regime.

What You Need to Know: Free Agency

Free Agency starts March 11th at 4 PM EST, and the list of slated free agents is full of players the Chargers can and should target. Guys like Tyler Linderbaum, Alec Pierce and Connor McGovern are among the names the Chargers have been connected to.

The main priority will most certainly be protecting Justin Herbert, after an offensive line that allowed a historic level of consistent pressure doomed a promising season. Expect all assets to go towards overhauling the interior. The aforementioned Linderbaum is the premier option at the center position, and vets like Joel Bitonio, Wyatt Teller, Kevin Zeitler and Isaac Seumalo all fit the bill as guards who can be plug-and-play to immediately bolster the weakest part of the current roster. Long story short, there are more than enough options to mirror something similar to what the Chicago Bears did last year when they brought in a clean slate on the interior, acquiring a new starting center and both guards before the draft.

Another possible hole that can be filled by free agency includes finding a linebacker to put next to Daiyan Henley, and with options like Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker on the market, they can most certainly bring in a sizable upgrade there as well.

One thing the Chargers can’t do is let the presence of mediocrity get in the way of improvement. The wide receiver room is in drastic need of athleticism and contested catch ability. A guy like Alec Pierce can provide that. A guy like AJ Brown can come in and be a true #1 if he’s available for trade. The Wide Receiver room needs a true #1 and a true X receiver, unless they expect Tre Harris to immediately rectify those woes in year 2, a move needs to be made there as well.

The Bolts also have some important internal free agents to address after Tart’s extension, such as Odafe Oweh, Khalil Mack, Keenan Allen and Zion Johnson. Oweh will command a pretty penny after his strong 2nd half with the Chargers, but the Chargers should absolutely be ok with paying the man in a deal that would be favorable for both sides, as Oweh has made it clear he wants to call LA home. Khalil Mack is more likely to retire than play elsewhere at this stage, so the ball feels entirely in his court. Keenan Allen just publicly stated his intentions to play football in 2026, and to do it with the Chargers, but it’ll come down to whether the Chargers legend has a role in a new look Chargers offense or not. Lastly, Zion Johnson had his best year as a pro in 2025, but still left a lot to be desired, considering the price tag that he is likely to command when hitting the open market.

Before You Go: Early Favorites?

After the Super Bowl, the early odds showed the Chargers as the current favorites to win the AFC West in 2026-27. The Chargers were two terrible losses to the Giants and Commanders from claiming that crown this year, and now they will be returning Slater and Alt, have $100M to spend, and have removed Greg Roman from their coaching staff. All of these signs point to an optimistic mindset towards the 2026 NFL season and their hopes for the AFC Crown, but all of this early hype and dwindle down quite fast if the Chargers don’t strike while the iron is hot in the offseason.