Some of Daniel Popper’s notes from the NFL Combine: he believes Mack is likely to return to the Chargers next season, that the Chargers are interested in Linderbaum, and that the Chargers may be willing to let Oweh and Zion walk if other teams are willing to overpay them.
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[Here’s the link to the full article for anyone interested](https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7074197/2026/02/27/chargers-nfl-combine-intel-2026/)
Two other free agents of interest that Popper mentioned in the article were Kenneth Gainwell and Charlie Kolar, however, those felt more like speculation by Popper based on the needs of the team rather than being based on any inside information.
This is the way. Popper said he thinks the lowest average Oweh would get is $19 million. That’s top tier center money. If Mack is brought back, that’s a lot for a rotational guy. Hortiz said EDGE is strong in this draft. I would rather draft and develop Mack’s successor. And Zion is below average at best. Trust McDaniel to develop a FA like he did in Miami.
I think the main takeaway from Poppers’ article is that at least one of Zion or Oweh is not coming back, maybe both. He projects at least $20m for Zion and $25m for Oweh, which I just can’t see Hortiz paying (nor should he tbh).
Najee is on a 2 year deal right?
Dolphins fan here: I would trust my life with Mike McDaniel’s ability to identify a center for his scheme.
He signed and moved Conner Williams there and he was playing at a Pro Bowl level before suffering what was eventually a career ending knee injury.
Then he signed Aaron Brewer, who was graded as one of the worst centers in the league in Tennessee and weaponized his ability to move in space and Brewer was a Pro Bowler this season.
Id bet zion is the odd man out
Lets go comp picks
Ive said for a couple id months that i think theyll let Oweh walk. He will likely send us a round three comp pick next year and got us production. I just dont see how we can afford the team in a couple of years when we need to be paying Herbert, Slater, Alt, Tuli, Derwin, McConkey plus probably one IOL guy. In a strong edge class it makes sense to draft an EDGE imo
I mean, we traded for Oweh and he was really productive for us. I think he needs to be the top priority amongst our internal free agents.
Offseason is always such a weird info market, a few real nuggets mixed in with a lot of leverage. Which of these notes do you actually buy the most (Mack return, Linderbaum interest, or letting Oweh/Zion walk if the price gets dumb)?
On the “how narratives spread” side, its kind of the same dynamic as marketing, we write about that stuff occasionally here: https://blog.promarkia.com/
If Hortiz overpay for Zion I swear I’m going to lose it.
We all see the effects of overpaying average to below average OLs around the league, it’s never worth it.
People will absolutely be willing to overpay for both Zion and Oweh. The issue is I think Oweh will be worth the “overpay.” The difference he made for us last year was amazing, and despite having already developed fairly well, there is *still more room to grow* which is a scary thought! Last I checked, PFF had the projection for Oweh at 4 years $77mil. I would be willing to go higher than that, depending on the guarantees associated with it (like $90 mil).
I’d love for Oweh to come back at a reasonable dollar price. Clearly turned a corner here but I can see him following Minter.
Same for Zion but without the minter part, he clearly turned a corner and I’d love to see what he could do with a competent person to his left and right. Not sure if that’ll be here though
I get that Oweh put up great numbers but paying top dollar for a guy that isn’t a 3-down Edge and can’t defend the run feels like a mistake.
I trust this coaching staff to develop a rotational Edge and i’d rather that money be spent on the interior offensive line than on the 3rd edge rushing option.
I’ve got a bad feeling that Zion dictates what they do with Becton. Replacing all 3 IOL positions feels like a major gamble, and 2 of the 3 should really be free agents, which means $$$.
who tf is going to overpay zion???
Oweh feels like the much better player than Zion, but even a serviceable guard is hard to find in todays league. That said, I also think that part of the reason that Zion improved last year was that he was the best player on a historically bad unit. That also means that defenses really didnt have to target him because they could just run by Bozeman/Becton or the tackles. So i do worry about overpaying to keep him and then he returns more to his previous level of play when hes no longer the best player on the line and teams try to attack him more directly again.
Won’t be surprised if we ended up with one of the cut centers and a vet guard. Other guard would be a day 2 pick. Need a lot of bodies on the oline.
Charlie Kolar would be an excellent addition and I’m really hoping we can grab sign him.
I’d expect Mack back. The team wants him, he wants to be here and the financials shouldn’t be too much of a sticking point.
I doubt the chargers overpay for Oweh or Zion. Oweh would be the more likely if the two. Zion is not a $20 mil player. Better to sign a vet on a 1-2 year deal and draft and develop.
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Popper always has the best little details. If other teams are going to overpay, letting guys walk can be the right call, but it still stings when you lose depth. Curious who you all think is most likely to get the biggest bag elsewhere, and where the Chargers should actually spend to replace that value. Also, totally different world, but I write about messaging and “market” dynamics in a lighter way here: https://blog.promarkia.com/
I think Oweh is going to end up being a casualty of playing well recently and getting overpaid and I just don’t see us spending an insane amount for him. I hope we can retain him without breaking the bank though
Too be fair a lot of these players want a ring. And winning the chargers first championship is worth like 5 rings. Herbert winning a superbowl with the chargers is worth like 2 1/2 of Brady’s rings. If Mike McDaniel leads an offense that leads the chargers to a championship he will instantly be above all his peers he will surpass Mcvay and Shanahan. That Seahawks championship was disgustingly easy and no one will talk about that season in 20 years. Point is having the chargers win means more and will be worth more than the 2015 broncos championship. It’s why so many people are anti charger and do not want to see us succeed because we’re the under dog. There’s nothing better than watching the broncos lose after over performing. There’s nothing better than watching the chiefs lose after having the refs on their side for the last couple years. There’s nothing better than watching the raiders continuously destroy all hope and reason for their fans to even care slightly. Guys all I’m saying is a chargers victory means more for the world and society. Watching Justin hoist that Lombardi and then going to kiss Madison beer is going to enable me to find extreme undeniable holy religious acceptance in the fact that I can be happy