Rashawn Slater tabbed as No. 1 priority for Chargers to get new contract done

The Chargers got Justin Herbert’s contract done last offseason. Will they waste little time in locking down his biggest protector?

The Chargers finally put pen to paper on Justin Herbert’s contract extension last offseason ensuring that the future of the franchise wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon. The first year under the contract did not end the way everyone would have liked as Herbert did not finish the season due to a hand injury, but I guess that just makes this topic all the more prevalent.

Rashawn Slater needs to be signed to an extension as soon as possible and it’d be quite a relief to see it get done before the start of the 2024 season. But don’t take my word for it, The Athletic’s Daniel Popper also tabbed Slater as the one player on the Chargers to keep an eye on in terms of a potential deal getting done.

“Slater became eligible for an extension at the end of last season,” says Popper. “The Chargers picked up his fifth-year option in May, meaning he is under contract through 2025. Slater is an elite tackle, and the price for that position is only going up. Lions right tackle Penei Sewell, drafted six spots ahead of Slater in the first round in 2021, signed for $28 million in average annual value earlier this offseason. The smart approach is always signing good players early. Will the Chargers wait to see Slater play in the new offense under Jim Harbaugh before committing long-term?”

Popper brings up a good point here at the end.

Would the new Chargers regime — the one that did not actually draft Slater — lack enough confidence to get a deal done before seeing him perform in the new system? In my humble opinion, I think that’d be a mistake. Slater was a first-round pick and is already a former All-Pro. He had two very good seasons to begin his career before his one “down” year coincided with the entire team underperforming so badly that they completely cleaned how for the first time in over a decade. Something tells me that one thing affected the other and I don’t think Slater was anywhere near the root cause of it.

Zion Johnson switched from the right to the left side prior to the 2023 season and that also led to a down year compared to his rookie campaign, despite playing on the same side he did in college. Add in the fact that All-Pro center Corey Linsley did not play a game after Week Three and you’ve got quite a few ripple effects that may have reverberated throughout the entire line.

So yes, the Chargers should absolutely get ahead of it all and sign Slater to a contract extension. This type of talent at such a crucial position in the NFL does NOT grow on trees and if they believe Joe Alt will turn into the type of player they hope he’ll be, they’ll need Slater on the other side for as long as possible to maximize their competitive window under Justin Herbert.