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Chargers

James will now be making $25.2 million per year, slightly nudging out the Ravens’ Kyle Hamilton ($25.1 million per year) for highest-paid safety in the league. The deal includes $57.5 million guaranteed. James entered the offseason wanting a new contract before training camp and he gets one coming off back-to-back seasons of Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro honors. He remains a versatile and hard-hitting centerfielder for the Chargers, captaining the defense for seven seasons, making five Pro Bowls in that time. James tied his career-high with three interceptions last seasons and finished with an 81.2 overall PFF grade, good for No. 8 among safeties. He was set to enter the final season of his contract but will now be signed to the Chargers through 2029.

Rhim caveats the thought by adding that increased tight end usage “is not a guarantee.” The key takeaway for second-year TE Oronde Gadsden is that Rhim thinks recent free agent signee, TE David Njoku, could take on the TE1 role, noting Njoku possesses “valuable experience that a guy like Gadsden can learn from.” That said, in a piece where Rhim highlighted the tight end position’s importance in the new scheme, he referenced only Gadsden and Njoku, seemingly indicating this is a two-player race for the TE1 job. Njoku’s play has declined recently, as has his health. Gadsden might currently be the TE2, but we have to get through spring and summer practices first.

Rhim specifically cites former Dolphins TE Jonnu Smith, who posted an 88/886/8 receiving line, while totaling 505 yards after the catch under McDaniel in 2024. McDaniel and TEs coach Chandler Henley plan to create a “run-pass conflict” for opposing defenses, which starts at the tight end position. The offense will expectedly use two-tight end sets often. Rhim notes that Njoku, 29, has “been one of the league’s best tight ends at yards after catch for the past decade,” although he “is coming off one of his worst seasons as a pro” and has been bothered by lower-body injuries recently. Whether Njoku has enough left in the tank to handle TE1 duties remains to be seen. It is worth noting that Rhim never once mentioned TE Charlie Kolar in the article, suggesting he is stuck in the TE3 spot behind Njoku and second-year TE Oronde Gadsden.

Day, 51, will retain his prior role as well. The Chargers did the same with DBs coach Steve Clinkscale, adding defensive passing game coordinator to his title, and DL coach Mike Elston, adding defensive run game coordinator to his title. Former offensive assistant Josh Hammond has been promoted to assistant WRs coach and assistant ST coach and Mike Hiestand has been named defensive run game specialist. The team also added Jarrod James, Jimmy Thompson and Beau Snuggs as Alex G. Spanos Coaching Fellows.

Speaking on the Up and Adams show, Hortiz said he has spoken with Allen’s representation this offseason. For now, Hortiz noted that the team is letting their younger talent grow and develop throughout the offseason program. After a down year in Chicago, Allen returned to form upon reuniting with Justin Herbert in 2025, posting an 81-777-4 receiving line with far better efficiency metrics. If Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh don’t think their receiver room is complete through OTAs and minicamp, Allen could be back in a Chargers uniform by the time training camp rolls around.

According to Breer, Alexander is comfortable in his current position and “wanted to see the building of the 2026 team through.” Alexander has been with the Chargers since 2024 and previously served as the Jets’ director of player personnel (2019-2023). He’s risen through the ranks since first joining the Ravens in 1999 as a pro personal assistant, and could field more offers for future GM openings if the Chargers have a strong season in 2026.

A week after visiting with the Chargers, Njoku is now set to join them on a deal that is worth up to $8 million, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The 29-year-old tight end had one of the worst seasons of his career in 2025, as injuries and the emergence of rookie Harold Fannin resulted in Njoku catching just 33 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns in 12 games. Injuries have slowed Njoku each of the last two seasons. He’s appeared in just 23 of a possible 34 regular-season games over that span and has averaged 8.9 YPR or fewer in both seasons. However, if he can stay healthy, he should provide another reliable weapon for Justin Herbert in the passing game. His arrival could have a negative impact on Oronde Gadsden, but given both tight ends’ ability to line up both in-line and in the slot, it also wouldn’t be surprising if the Chargers ran more two-tight-end sets

McDaniel told reporters that they would be “hard pressed to find a guy that’s grown more, specifically in the last week, than Q.” McDaniel then said that Johnston “has some traits in his game that are similar to some very powerful, explosive, productive receivers” that McDaniel coached previously. The two players McDaniel referenced are former Texans WR Andre Johnson and former Falcons WR Julio Jones. To be clear, we expect Johnston to fall well short of those lofty comparisons. Johnston finished as the PPR WR34 last season. Inching his way up the WR3 tier could happen under McDaniel’s guidance. Hopefully, the positive reports continue during organized team activities and training camp.

McDaniel explained Herbert’s strengths and weaknesses to ESPN’s Kris Rhim, noting that Herbert performs efficiently when he either gets the ball out in under 2.4 seconds or less, or “extends plays and launches it down the field.” However, Herbert’s efficiency decreases as the time to throw reaches three seconds. McDaniel plans to “max out those quick throws,” which was a staple in McDaniel’s Dolphins’ offenses, while also allowing Herbert to extend plays at times. That said, McDaniel does not want to make the offense reliant on Herbert’s ability to go above and beyond. He stopped short of explaining that aspect, but McDaniel’s offenses typically feature an efficient, voluminous run game. We expect that to be the case here as well. Herbert finished as the QB10 last year. He has decent odds of working his way up the QB1 tier this year.

Heinicke most recently spent time on the Chargers’ roster, but was released in August 2025. He logged 29 starts in his career, 24 of which occurred during his time with the Commanders from 2020-22. Over the course of his career, Heinicke threw for 6,663 yards, 39 touchdowns and 28 interceptions, and rushed for 608 yards and three touchdowns. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Vikings, and spent time with the Patriots, Texans, Panthers and Falcons as well.