Rashawn Slater and the Chargers agreed Sunday on a four-year, $114-million contract extension that will make him the highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL by average annual value of the deal, ending what little drama there was during the opening days of training camp.
Slater’s average salary will be an NFL-record $28.5 million over the four years of the extension, topping the $27.5 million average paid to left tackle Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers, an 11-time Pro Bowl selection heading into his 14th season in the league.
As with past long and lucrative extensions for quarterback Justin Herbert in 2023 and safety Derwin James Jr. in 2022, it seemed only a matter of time before Slater and the Chargers struck a deal. Herbert agreed to his contract on the eve of camp in ‘23 and James got his deal done about a week into camp in ‘22.
Slater’s new contract will keep him in a Chargers’ uniform through the 2029 season and includes $92 million in guaranteed salary, according to reports. Slater, who is in the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, has the third-highest salary-cap hit of any Charger for the coming season.
Herbert leads the way with a cap hit of more than $37 million followed by James at more than $23 million with Slater next at more than $19 million, according to figures compiled by the website overthecap.com. Those three plus likely Hall of Fame edge rusher Khalil Mack are the four pillars of the franchise.
Mack’s cap hit is $18 million in guaranteed money for the 2025 season.
The Chargers selected Slater in the first round of the 2021 draft (13th overall) out of Northwestern. He was a Pro Bowl selection as a rookie left tackle following a stellar season in which he started 16 games, sitting out one game because of COVID-19, and was named second team All-Pro by The Associated Press.
Slater also was a Pro Bowl selection this past season, his first under new Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh and General Manager Joe Hortiz. The Chargers’ extensions for Herbert and James were completed under the regime headed by Coach Brandon Staley and GM Tom Telesco.
The Chargers’ offensive line remains in flux despite a new contract for Slater and the addition of right guard Mekhi Becton, a member of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, during the offseason. Bradley Bozeman and Zion Johnson are in competition for the starting center’s job.
Harbaugh and Hortiz have made no secret of their desire for an improved running game while also maintaining protection for Herbert in the pocket. Any perceived weakness up front centers on Bozeman and Johnson. If Johnson supplants Bozeman then Bozeman would slide into Johnson’s old spot at left guard.
Slater, 26, and left tackle Joe Alt, 22, make up one of the best tackle tandems in the NFL, according to league pundits. Becton had a breakthrough season after a rocky, four-season start to his career with the New York Jets, which included sitting out the entire 2022 season because of a knee injury.
The Chargers hoped they had improved their ground game by signing free agent Najee Harris, who rushed for 1,000 yards or more in four seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and drafting Omarion Hampton from the University of North Carolina in the first round of the draft in April.
However, Harris suffered what’s been described as a superficial eye injury during an accident with fireworks on July 4 in his hometown of Antioch. Harris has watched from the sidelines for the past three practices and attended team meetings, but there’s no timetable set publicly for his return to the practice field.
The Chargers had the day off Sunday, but are scheduled to return for their 10th day of training camp Monday in El Segundo. They play the first of their four exhibition games Thursday against the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. It seemed unlikely Slater would play.
Starters don’t often play in NFL exhibition games.
Plus, Slater has been sidelined since the opening days of camp by what Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman have described as a “minor” injury. Harbaugh stressed that it was a physical ailment that sidelined Slater rather than anything to do with his uncertain contract situation.
It was uncertain when Slater would be sound enough to rejoin practice.