Chargers 2024 offseason position preview: Offensive line

Trey Pipkins ($8.75 million cap hit)

Rashawn Slater ($5.29 million cap hit)

Zion Johnson ($4.02 million cap hit)

Corey Linsley ($3.81 million cap hit)

Brenden Jaimes ($1.13 million cap hit)

Jamaree Salyer ($1.03 million cap hit)

Jordan McFadden ($993k cap hit)

Andrew Trainer ($798k cap hit)

Brent Laing (795k cap hit)

Linsley was once the highest cap hit of this group with a base salary of $11.5 million. He opted to restructure his contract in a way that effectively plans for his impending retirement. The Chargers will save roughly $10 million against the cap for this March free agency period. They’ll have $5.2 million of Linsley’s dead money split evenly between 2024 and 2025 once he is likely placed on the retirement list in June.

The biggest offseason storyline for the Chargers is how they opt to replace Linsley. Do they wait to take a center in the draft? They could opt to bring back Will Clapp and still have Jaimes on the roster prior to April. Alternatively, starting caliber NFL centers like Mason Cole and Brian Allen have been released recently.

The fifth pick potentially looms large for this group if it is a tackle like Joe Alt. The Chargers could also trade back in the draft for players JC Latham or Olu Fasahnu. Pipkins’ starting right tackle spot would be the one to watch in these scenarios.

Johnson and Salyer will be back. But where will they be playing on the line? Switching spots for both players didn’t really seem to work out as both Salyer and Johnson had worse seasons in 2023.

Slater will be locking down the left tackle spot as he always is. The only storyline to watch with him this offseason is extension eligibility. The Chargers could save a little bit against the cap on his 2025 fifth-year option if they were to extend him.

Jaimes played some decent backup center snaps in the absences of Linsley and Clapp last year. Other depth pieces that will be back for training camp next year include McFadden, Laing, and Trainer.