With just one year left on his rookie contract, Chargers wide receiver Quentin Johnston surfaced in trade rumors in early March. A deal has not materialized over a month later, though, and general manager Joe Hortiz revealed that he is not shopping Johnston.
“There’s a lot of rumors out there on Twitter,” Hortiz said Thursday (via Kris Rhim of ESPN). “And I can tell you this, I have made zero calls about Quentin, and I’ve had zero calls regarding Quentin.”
Hortiz and head coach John Harbaugh were not in the organization when the Chargers chose Johnston 21st overall in the 2023 draft. But the two “have always been enamored with Johnston’s upside,” Rhim writes. That seems to bode well for Johnston sticking around for at least another season, though it is unclear if the Chargers will green light his fifth-year option by the May 1 deadline. Signing off on it would entitle Johnston to a fully guaranteed salary of $18.1MM in 2027. The Chargers have not made a decision on it yet, Hortiz said.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Johnston joined the Chargers after starring at TCU, but his rookie season was rocky. He struggled with drops and finished with a disappointing 38 receptions, 431 yards and two touchdowns in 17 games. While Johnston combined for five absences over the past two seasons, including three in 2025, his numbers have taken a leap since Hortiz and Harbaugh grabbed the reins in 2024. The 24-year-old caught 55 balls for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games in his first season playing for Harbaugh. He followed that up with another eight-TD showing, which led the team for the second straight year, and hauled in 51 passes for 735 yards.
Johnston’s production has been closer to respectable than great, which is why exercising his fifth-year option is not a slam dunk. In taking Ladd McConkey in the first round in 2024 and Tre Harris in Round 2 last year, the Chargers continued to invest heavily at receiver in the past two drafts. They also used a “30” visit this spring on potential first-round wideout KC Concepcion, which suggests they are open to spending another high pick on the position in this year’s draft. If that happens, the Chargers may be less inclined to keep Johnston around on an expensive salary in 2027. Barring a trade, though, Johnston should continue as one of quarterback Justin Herbert’s favorite targets next season under new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel.
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