Chargers release of $20 million starter should interest Lions, Bills, Steelers originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Chargers‘ offensive line overhaul continued on Wednesday with the release of a 2025 starter.

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ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Chargers plan to release guard Mekhi Becton before the start of the new league year.

Becton signed a two-year deal worth $20 million with Los Angeles last offseason.

“The Chargers plan to release guard Mekhi Becton in the coming days, per source. The move saves Los Angeles $9.7 million on the cap,” Fowler said.

Becton had a rough 2025 campaign, allowing 39 quarterback pressures in 14 starts and failing to stabilize the right guard position for the Chargers. The 26-year-old was never a fantastic fit in Greg Roman’s offense, and he won’t even receive the chance to have a bounce-back year in Mike McDaniel’s offense.

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Though Becton wasn’t great in 2025, he was impressive in 2024 with the Philadelphia Eagles, starting 15 games for the eventual Super Bowl champions and serving as a key starter on the offensive line.

With a change of scenery, Becton could regain that form he had with the Eagles, and the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, and Pittsburgh Steelers could be among the interested teams.

Detroit lacks depth at guard, so adding Becton on a cheap deal would be a savvy move by general manager Brad Holmes. Becton has experience playing both left and right guard, but he would likely have to slide back to the left side with Tate Ratledge locked in as the starter on the right.

Buffalo could lose starting left guard David Edwards in free agency, and if that happens, replacing him with Becton could be a path general manager Brandon Beane takes. The same goes for Pittsburgh, who could see Isaac Seumalo walk as well.

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Despite a disappointing 2025, Becton should still have a solid market in free agency, with the Lions, Bills, and Steelers as potential interested teams.

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