Sports

Chargers sign Pro Bowl center before NFL free agency

The Los Angeles Chargers have landed a major upgrade at center ahead of 2026 NFL free agency.

The Chargers are signing Tyler Biadasz to a three-year deal worth up to $30 million, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Biadasz is a six-year NFL veteran who spent the last two seasons as the starting center for the Washington Commanders. The 2022 Pro Bowler played 954 snaps across 16 games during the 2025 NFL season, grading as Pro Football Focus’ 12th-best center among 37 qualifiers while allowing three sacks, 21 pressures and committing three penalties.

Despite his performance, the Commanders released Biadasz ahead of 2026 free agency to save $2.85 million in cap space. The maneuver made the 28-year-old center immediately eligible to sign with another NFL team, which is how the Chargers were able to ink him to a contract before free agency began.

Biadasz fills a significant need for the Chargers. Bradley Bozeman – who started at center for the team in 2025 – graded dead-last among PFF’s qualified centers last year while allowing two sacks and 30 pressures on the season.

Bozeman retired following the season while backup Andre James is set to be a free agent. That left Josh Kaltenberger – a 2025 undrafted free agent out of Maryland who signed a futures contract with the team following the season – as the only center on Los Angeles’ 90-man offseason roster before the team signed Biadasz.

With center addressed, the Chargers will now turn their attention to the guard position, where Ben Cleveland and Branson Taylor are their only players under contract. Starting left guard Zion Johnson is set to be a free agent while right guard Mekhi Becton was released by the team.

Tyler Biadasz contract details

Biadasz and the Chargers agreed to a multi-year deal that will make him the sixth highest-paid center in the NFL in terms of average annual value (AAV), per OverTheCap.com. Below are the full terms of the deal:

  • Term: 3 years
  • Total contract value: $30 million
  • AAV: $10 million

Tyler Biadasz career earnings

Biadasz has logged just under $27.1 million in career earnings since being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, per Spotrac.com.

If the full value of Biadasz’s reported deal is realized, he will more than double his career earnings by the time his new contract expires in 2028.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY