One Free Agent Los Angeles Chargers Must Re-Sign — No Excuses

The Chargers have franchise quarterback Justin Herbert and no other experienced quarterbacks. They need to bring back their backup before the market dries up.

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Day 1 of the NFL free agency legal negotiation window of free agency has concluded. The Los Angeles Chargers agreed to terms with several free agents and re-signed a few of their internal free agents over the past few days.

There is one position on the roster that no one seems to be concerned about among the long list of internal free agents and that is quarterback. Justin Herbert is obviously the franchise quarterback, but as of right now, the only other quarterback that is on the roster is DJ Uiagalelei, who signed a futures contract after spending the entire 2025 season on the practice squad. Uiagalelei signed with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 draft.

It may not be a starting position but the Chargers absolutely need to re-sign Trey Lance as the backup quarterback. The Chargers have already experienced life without a capable backup for several seasons.

Why Trey Lance?

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The veteran quarterback market is nearly dried up with veterans such as Jimmy Garoppolo, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco and Tyrod Taylor being the only veterans still on the market. The next tier of quarterbacks available is Trey Lance, Zach Wilson and Sam Howell.

The Chargers know Trey Lance. He and Justin Herbert appeared to get along well as teammates working in the same room. Lance is already familiar with Mike McDaniel as they were together in San Francisco during Lance's rookie year in 2021 while McDaniel was offensive coordinator.

The Chargers entered the 2025 season with Justin Herbert, Taylor Heinicke, Trey Lance and DJ Uiagalelei on the roster. Lance earned the primary backup role behind Justin Herbert with his play in the 2025 pre-season.

The quarterback market and outlook

Los Angeles simply can not enter the 2026 offseason program with just two quarterbacks. If the Chargers let Trey Lance sign with another team, they will be faced with a limited pool of potential replacements, primarily Zach Wilson and Jimmy Garoppolo. They are also entering the 2026 draft with only five draft picks and no extra draft capital to throw at a potential backup quarterback.

Trey Lance is still only 25 years old entering his age-26 season. He may not have been ready to start his rookie year for a Mike McDaniel offense but as a backup five years later, he may still have the talent for McDaniel to maximize if the time came.

Lance started for the Chargers against the Denver Broncos in week 18 while the majority of the starters sat out in preparation for the playoffs. Before that game, Lance spoke with ESPN and glowingly described his time in Los Angeles and with head coach Jim Harbaugh. "Everything from the way you wake up in the morning, the way you go to bed at night, coach Harbaugh's got a process," Lance said, "that's something I try to learn."

Signing Trey Lance would be a low risk option for the Chargers but the risk of not bringing him back may be greater.