Is Chargers' $9.3 million starting OL on the cutting block?

If there was one major red flag on the Los Angeles Chargers' 2024 season, it was their interior offensive line. Their tackle duo of Rashawn Slater and rookie Joe Alt were just fine, but the main problems came from the inside.

The trio of Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman and Trey Pipkins III were atrocious. Going into this offseason, the Chargers are going to need immediate upgrades at both guard and center, leading many to believe they could even release Pipkins.

Bleacher Report seems to agree, as they listed Pipkins as the Chargers' top cap casualty heading into the offseason. He's set to make $9.3 million in 2025, with the Chargers saving $6.8 million by releasing him.

"The Chargers have exercised a lot of patience with Trey Pipkins. He has been with the team since 2019 and was given the time to blossom into a starting tackle for most of his tenure. However, his struggles at the position and the drafting of Joe Alt brought about a move to guard this season. It gave Pipkins a starting role, but he didn't necessarily play well enough to keep the job going into next season.Pipkins surrendered six sacks and earned the 95th-ranked pass-blocking grade for all guards by PFF. Given Jim Harbaugh's emphasis on having a dominant offensive line, it would be surprising if the Chargers didn't make an effort to upgrade the position, and the $6.8 million they could save by cutting Pipkins is likely to help replace him."

This seems like an obvious move, as Pipkins simply isn't good. While he may be a solid backup option, he wouldn't be worth it at such a high price tag. The only way Pipkins could remain with the Chargers would be to take a massive pay cut, but that seems unlikely.