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The Los Angeles Chargers have doubled down on their run-first approach this offseason under head coach Jim Harbaugh. The Chargers landed former Pittsburgh Steelers rusher Najee Harris on a one-year, $9.5 million contract in free agency and the team spent its first round pick in the NFL draft on North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton.
However, the Chargers aren’t committing to their former first-round offensive lineman Zion Johnson beyond the 2025 season. LA has decided not to exercise Johnson’s fifth-year option, according to ESPN’s Kris Rhim on X.
The Chargers selected Johnson with the 17th overall pick in the 2022 draft. He became the team’s starting right guard in his rookie season but switched back to left guard in year two. Through three seasons with LA, Johnson has started 49 of 51 games, missing just two contests in 2023 with a neck injury.
The Chargers emphasize run-first approach with 2025 first-round draft pick
Had the team exercised his option, Johnson would have made $17.560 million in 2026, per ProFootballTalk. Now, he’ll enter the final year of his rookie deal in 2025.
After taking a step back in his sophomore season, when he scored an overall blocking grade of 57.6, via PFF, Johnson showed improvements in his game in 2024. He ranked 61st out of 136 guards as a pass blocker and 55th out of 136 as a run blocker last year.
Despite having a franchise quarterback in Justin Herbert, the Chargers figure to continue to be a run-first team with Harbaugh at the helm. And LA will have the rushers to get the job done. After a standout career at UNC, Hampton began rising up draft boards, ultimately joining Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty as a first round pick when the Chargers took him 22nd overall.
Los Angeles will pair the dynamic rookie with Harris. The veteran bruiser is coming off his fourth straight 1,000-yard campaign with the Steelers. It was also the fourth straight season he’s played all 17 games.
While Harris and Hampton could form a formidable duo for the Chargers, the team could also add JK Dobbins to the mix in 2025. LA placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Dobbins, which will either lead to compensatory picks if he signs elsewhere or give the Chargers exclusive negotiating rights with the RB if he doesn’t sign with a different team before training camp begins.
Given his injury history, there’s a good chance Dobbins will return to LA for 2025, creating a three-headed monster backfield. Dobbins ran for a career-high 905 yards and nine scores in 13 games last season.
