Chargers Made Right Decision on Quentin Johnston's Fifth-Year Option

The Los Angeles Chargers exercised wide receiver Quentin Johnston's fifth-year option. Explore why that's the right call.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers have come to a decision on 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnston and his fifth-year contract option. The Chargers are exercising his fifth-year option, and Johnston will get a hefty raise in 2027. Johnston had a very productive 2025, despite being the subject of trade speculation in the media, he will be trusted to continue his growth with Mike McDaniel calling the plays.

The deadline for a decision was May 1st and Johnston is now under contract through the 2027 season to wrap up his rookie contract. Johnston is set to carry a cap hit of just over $4.5 million in 2026 and that number jumps to approximately $18 million in 2027 by estimates from Over the Cap.

Quentin Johnston was drafted by the Chargers at pick number 21 overall in the first round of the 2023 draft. Johnston's selection was the start of a run on wide receivers where he was the first of three receivers picked consecutively after one another. The Ravens selected Zay Flowers at pick 22 followed by the Vikings selecting Jordan Addison at pick 23.

Johnston was always set to be compared to his peers that he was drafted alongside. The Chargers, under previous head coach Brandon Staley, did not set up Johnston for success as a rookie. Johnston entered the NFL with unique athletic traits that helped him secure a selection in the first round but underdeveloped route running and deep ball tracking.

The original plan was for Johnston to develop slowly behind the veteran corps of Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, and Josh Palmer. Unfortunately, the injury bug bit hard into the wide receiver room. Allen missed four games, Williams missed 14 and Palmer missed seven. The injuries forced Johnston into a role he was unprepared for as the team asked him to take over Mike Williams' role, a role he universally was not ideal for coming out of TCU.

Johnston struggled his rookie year in a role ill suited for what he had excelled at. The Chargers staff were all fired before the end of the season to highlight the tumultuous rookie year for Johnston.

Johnston gets to work in the offseason and with new staff

Los Angeles Chargers wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal before the game against the San Francisco 49ers. | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Following the 2023 season Johnston was determined to improve. The Chargers hired Jim Harbaugh and wide receivers coach Sanjay Lal was brought into the fold. Johnston spent the off-season training with renowned private receivers coach David Robinson alongside future top pick Marvin Harrison Jr.

#Chargers 2023 1st round pick Quentin Johnston putting in work alongside 2024 #4 overall pick Marvin Harrison Jr this off-season.pic.twitter.com/tZwlv4zakA

— Thomas Martinez (@BoltsDraftTalk) April 26, 2024

Quentin Johnston L.A. Chargers WR former 1st. Rd. Pick from last years NFL Draft in the lab 🧪 hungry and we comin stay tune!!! “Train Like A Pro” @MrJohnston____ @chargers @NFLRookieWatxh @NFL @TrustMyEyesO @JClarkHFB247 @TCUFootball pic.twitter.com/TQ9ml8AygX

— David Robinson (@drobalwayzopen) March 7, 2024

The off-season training and working with Sanjay Lal paid dividends for Johnston as he took positive steps forward in his second year. The ascension continued through the 2025 season.

The most glaring issue from Johnston's rookie year was drops. Statistically speaking, Johnston was credited by Pro Football Focus with only two drops on the season. The reason for this is the charting was counting many of the drops as contested catch opportunities were he only caught seven of 22 targets.

By 2025, Johnston raised his contested catch percent from the low 30s to nearly 50 percent, a dramatic jump from his first two seasons. The improvement is clear. He has also been a solid run blocker on the perimeter, a skill that will undoubtedly be put to use in the new offense Mike McDaniel is installing.

The bottom line is that Quentin Johnston has done everything to work and improve despite getting dealt terrible circumstances to start his NFL career. Johnston can still be a substantial bargain when comparing his production to other wide receivers in a similar contract range for his fifth-year option. The market has ballooned dramatically for wide receivers, and the value of the fifth-year option falls right in the middle.

Will Quentin Johnston ever be a Calvin Johnson-style number one wide receiver? No, it's not his game. He carries the heavy weight of first-round expectations, and many view him through the narrow lens of his rookie season.

Everyone in the Chargers organization, from head coach Jim Harbaugh to position coach Sanjay Lal, down to Justin Herbert and new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, has faith in Johnston. He has worked, grown and been durable; he earned the additional fifth year on his contract.