The Los Angeles Chargers’ first order of business this offseason is making decisions on their internal free agents.
They already began the process last month when they agreed to a three-year extension with defensive lineman Teair Tart. The Chargers signed Tart to a one-year, $5 million deal last offseason. He outperformed that contract and was the defense’s most disruptive interior defensive lineman. Tart was slated to hit free agency when the new league year begins March 11. The Chargers got ahead of that and brought Tart back on a deal averaging $10 million per in base value, according to Over the Cap.
Re-signing Tart was merely the opening step in this process. The Chargers have 21 other players set to his unrestricted free agency when the new league year begins, including several starters and key contributors. The Chargers are free to negotiate extensions with any of these players. Other teams, meanwhile, must wait until the negotiating window opens March 9.
Here is a look at the Chargers’ five best pending internal free agents.
1. OLB Odafe Oweh
Oweh made himself a lot of money after the Chargers traded for him in October. That could come in Los Angeles. That could come elsewhere. Either way, Oweh has surely created a robust market based on how he produced with the Chargers.
Oweh, a 2021 first-round pick, entered 2025 with the Baltimore Ravens, playing on his fifth-year option. He did not have a sack through five games. Ahead of a Week 6 matchup with the Miami Dolphins, the Chargers sent safety Alohi Gilman and a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Ravens for Oweh and a future seventh-round pick. Oweh had sack in his Chargers debut. He finished the regular season with 7.5 sacks. He had three sacks in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the New England Patriots.
Tuli Tuipulotu, Khalil Mack and Oweh formed one of the fiercest pass-rushing trios in the league. Mack dealt with an elbow injury early in the season. He fully returned in Week 8. From that point on, the Chargers ranked second in defensive EPA per play, according to TruMedia. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter got all three rushers on the field at the same time in known-passing situations. That grouping presented significant problems, and the Chargers, from Week 8 on, ranked fourth in third-down pressure rate, according to TruMedia.
Mack is also free agent, and we will get to him next. Oweh should be the Chargers’ priority as they assess their remaining in-house free agents. He is still only 27. He is an ascending player who started to show more variety in his pass-rush arsenal after joining the Chargers. He is a known quantity in this defense.
2. OLB Khalil Mack
Mack, once again, has three options heading into the offseason. He can retire. He can re-sign with the Chargers. Or he can sign elsewhere. Mack was in a similar spot last offseason. He opted to re-sign with the Chargers on a one-year, $18 million deal. Mack missed four games early in the season with a dislocated elbow. That affected his overall production as he worked his way back. But Mack is still a high-quality edge rusher who can impact the game by getting after the quarterback and dominating in the run game.
The roster-finance math gets a little tricky when you consider keeping Tuipulotu, Mack and Oweh together. Oweh could command more than $20 million per year on the open market. Tuipulotu is coming off a breakout 13-sack season and is eligible for a lucrative long-term extension. Mack would command sizable cap space on a likely one-year deal, if he decides to continue playing.
Three expensive veteran contracts in one room limits spending elsewhere. In a perfect world, the Chargers would have a rookie contract in this room, with a player outperforming his cost against the cap. But the spending is worth it to keep the Mack-Tuipulotu-Oweh trio together. They are all productive players. Just as important, they have tremendous chemistry and unselfishness in how they rush together.
The Oweh trade last year proved that the Chargers need three high-quality edge rushers to get the most out of their defensive scheme. That was true under Minter, and that will be true under new defensive coordinator Chris O’Leary, who will be running the same system.
Khalil Mack remains a disruptive defender against the run and the pass. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
3. OG Zion Johnson
From Weeks 13 to 17 this past season, Johnson played the best football of his career. He is a weapon as a run blocker, and he showed more consistency as a pass protector during this stretch, especially in terms of how he was seeing and identifying stunts and blitzes up front.
Johnson did not play well in the playoff loss to the New England Patriots, and that was an unfortunate finish after what he put on tape to close out the regular season. Still, his performance after the bye in Week 12 was enough to show that he has taken a step forward.
If he hits free agency, Johnson will be one of the best guards on the market. As recent history has shown, even mediocre starting guards get paid in free agency. Aaron Banks signed with the Green Bay Packers for $19.25 million per year last offseason. Johnson is a far better player than Banks. That should put his market in perspective.
The big question is this: What do the Chargers do if Johnson leaves in free agency? They need an upgrade at center over Bradley Bozeman. Starting right guard Mekhi Becton is a potential cap-related cut. If Johnson leaves, there is a real chance the Chargers will be looking for three new starters on the interior. With the space they will potentially be devoting to the edge room, filling three starting spots on the offensive line would be a heavy lift. The roster puzzle makes more sense if the Chargers can re-sign Johnson, even if they have to overpay slightly.
4. DL Da’Shawn Hand
Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz has proven capable of finding low-cost answers on the interior defensive line in free agency. In 2024, he signed Poona Ford to a one-year, $1.79 million contract. Ford was the Chargers’ best interior defender and parlayed that prove-it contract into a three-year, $27.6 million deal with the Los Angeles Rams. In 2025, Hortiz signed Hand to a one-year, $2.75 million contract. Hand was the Chargers’ most consistent interior run defender, and he considerably outperformed this deal.
Do the Chargers bring Hand back, or do they again trust their pro scouting to find a low-cost answer? They will need to bolster this position in the coming months. They have very little behind the trio of Tart, Jamaree Caldwell and Justin Eboigbe.
5. WR Keenan Allen
The Chargers and Allen reunited in August 2025 after Mike Williams retired on the eve of training camp. Allen had a fine season, catching 81 passes for 777 yards. He set the all-time franchise receptions record, passing Hall of Famer Antonio Gates. He is 534 yards away from passing Gates as the Chargers’ receiving yards leader.
Allen had spent a year away from the Chargers, after Hortiz and coach Jim Harbaugh traded him to the Chicago Bears during the 2024 offseason. The rapport between quarterback Justin Herbert and Allen resumed immediately. Allen led the NFL with 29 conversion receptions on third down.
Allen can still play. That much is clear. The primary question is whether he makes sense paired with Ladd McConkey. Allen and McConkey are at their best in similar positions on the field, namely when running option routes in short areas. McConkey had 82 catches for 1,149 yards as a rookie in 2024. His production waned in 2025. McConkey finished with 66 catches for 789 yards. Allen’s presence undoubtedly impacted this drop-off. McConkey was forced to run for intermediate and deep routes because Allen was digging into his share of those shorter option routes.
McConkey should be the focal point of the passing game. It is difficult to make that happen when Allen is on the roster, even if Allen can still contribute at this level.