Left guard Zion Johnson agreed Monday with the Cleveland Browns on a three-season contract potentially worth as much as $49.5-million, guaranteeing the Chargers will have three new offensive linemen playing between standout tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater next season.
The deal won’t become official until Wednesday at 1 p.m. (PDT), when the NFL’s free agent signing period begins. Teams were able to negotiate with free agents when the legal tampering window opened Monday. Johnson was the first of the Chargers’ free agents to agree to a deal elsewhere, but not the only one.
In addition to losing Johnson to the Browns, the Chargers also lost outside linebacker Odafe Oweh to the Washington Commanders. Oweh reportedly agreed to a mammoth contract potentially worth $100 million over four seasons, including $68 million guaranteed.
The Chargers re-signed outside linebacker Khalil Mack to a one-year, $18-million extension on Saturday. They also are expected to give Tuli Tuipulotu a contract extension before the start of the 2026 season. But they will likely seek a depth player or two at the position in free agency.
Oweh had 7.5 sacks in 12 games with the Chargers after a trade from the Baltimore Ravens on Oct. 7, 2025.
Upgrading the interior of their offensive line was expected to be a top priority for the Chargers during the offseason. Season-ending injuries to Alt and Slater put quarterback Justin Herbert in jeopardy all too often. Herbert was sacked 54 times, the most in his six-season career.
So, the Chargers on Friday signed center Tyler Biadasz to replace Bradley Bozeman, who retired in February. But losing Johnson to the Browns and releasing right guard Mekhi Becton means they’ll have a new look at three O-line spots. Biadasz had been released by the Commanders in a cost-cutting move.
The Chargers also reportedly gave offensive lineman Trevor Penning a one-year, $4.5-million contract extension.
In another move designed to give Herbert improved protection, the Chargers reportedly agreed Monday with ex-Baltimore Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar on a three-year, $24.3 contract. Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz was with the Ravens when Kolar was drafted in 2022.
Kolar will be teamed with Oronde Gadsden, a second-year player whose strengths run more to the catching and running portion of a tight end’s job description. Kolar is known as an effective blocker who will aid in the protection of Herbert as the Chargers revamp their offensive line.
Reportedly, Kolar would become the NFL’s highest-paid blocking tight end.
Johnson was the most consistent and durable of the Chargers’ offensive linemen this past season, on the field for every snap through 16 games. Johnson was rested for their regular-season finale against the Denver Broncos, after the Chargers had already clinched a playoff spot.
The Chargers picked Johnson in the first round in 2022 from Boston College. He played both guard positions and tried out at center during Coach Jim Harbaugh’s O-line experiment during the 2025 training camp, remaining at left guard after Bozeman won their brief training camp battle.
In other news, the Chargers did not receive a compensatory draft pick for losing free agents last season. They will go into the draft next month with five picks over seven rounds. They have picks in each of the first four rounds plus another in the sixth.