Why Ian Rapoport Believes ‘Hype Around the Chargers is Warranted’ Ahead of 2026 Season

And, like national pundits such as Daniel Jeremiah and Mina Kimes, Rapoport is obviously fired up to see how Justin Herbert fares in McDaniel’s scheme.

McDaniel said this offseason that he wants the Chargers franchise quarterback to play “the best football of his career” in 2026.

“Mike’s done an unbelievable job of putting any quarterback in position to succeed. And really any player, right?,” Rapoport said. “I mean, you’ve had fourth-string running backs who have had great games in his system because he gives guys space and he lets them be successful.

“And then you give him a quarterback like Justin, I’m really curious to see how good they can be,” Rapoport continued.

“It’s the best quarterback he’s had, the most talented quarterback he’s had,” Rapoport added. “And when guys are open anyway because the scheme is so good, like, how good can they be?”

Defensively, Rapoport kept a close eye on Chargers Defensive Coordinator Chris O’Leary, who is in his first season in that role.

O’Leary was the Bolts safeties coach in 2024 before becoming the DC at Western Michigan last season.

“A good, young coach,” Rapoport said of O’Leary, who is filling the shoes of now Ravens Head Coach Jesse Minter. “I think the system will be similar enough to where the players can kind of hit the ground running and not have this big acclamation period.”

Overall, Rapoport knows the Chargers will surely be tested in 2026, especially as they play eight games in 2026 against playoff teams from a year ago.

The Bolts also reside in one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions, with the Broncos and Chiefs each eyeing deep playoff runs and the Raiders looking toward a brighter future.

But, as Rapoport noted in El Segundo, if everything goes right, the Chargers “should be as good as it gets” in the months ahead.

“You hire the top coordinator candidate available [in McDaniel], you have talent and the roster is really good and deep,” Rapoport said. “If you stay injury-free or relatively injury-free, I don’t know why this isn’t a team that’s there at the end.

“I don’t know what else you’d be looking for if you were to kind of build a team,” Rapoport continued. “Now, they’ve got to go out and do it, obviously. And there’s a new defensive coordinator whose sort of untested, so that’ll be an interesting one, but he should be really good.

“But the talent is really good, so I could see the Chargers as a team that’s there until the end,” Rapoport added.