The Los Angeles Chargers announced Sunday that they have agreed to terms on a multi-year contract extension with star left tackle Rashawn Slater.
The extension is for four years and $114 million and includes a record $92 million in guaranteed money, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. Slater’s $28.5 million average annual salary is a record for the position. ESPN was first to report the deal.
Slater was entering the final year of his rookie deal, the fifth-year option that the Chargers picked up in May 2024. He was due to make $19.04 million on that fifth-year option in 2025.
The Chargers drafted Slater out of Northwestern with the No. 13 pick in 2021. Slater quickly emerged as one of the best left tackles in the league, earning second-team All-Pro honors as a rookie. He battled injuries in his second and third seasons. In 2022, Slater tore his bicep in the third game of the season and missed the rest of the year. The Chargers made the playoffs that season. Slater was designated to return from injured reserve in the week leading up to the Chargers’ first-round matchup at the Jacksonville Jaguars, but he was not activated for the eventual season-ending loss.
Chargers T Rashawn Slater has reset the market for offensive lineman, agreeing to a four-year, $114 million extension that includes $92 million guaranteed, sources tell me and @danielrpopper.
Slater’s $28.5M average annual salary is a new record for the position. pic.twitter.com/dFApE7zukg
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 27, 2025
In 2023, Slater battled multiple ankle injuries that affected his play over the first half of the season. He still started all 17 games and found his elite form in the second half, particularly in pass protection. In 2024, he injured his pectoral in a Week 3 game at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Slater was knocked out of that game and missed the following week’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. But he returned for the next game and played the rest of the season. Slater earned his second Pro Bowl nod last season.
The injury history was potentially a factor in negotiations. At the same time, the proof is on the tape: Even when battling through injuries, Slater is one of the premier pass protectors in football. And keeping quarterback Justin Herbert clean must be a priority as the Chargers try to build a Super Bowl contender.
Coach Jim Harbaugh and general manager Joe Hortiz joined the Chargers in February of last year. They picked up Slater’s fifth-year option without seeing him play a down. Even though Slater was eligible for extension after the 2023 season, negotiations did not pick up until after the 2024 campaign. Slater used another year to see the tackle market continue to elevate. The Chargers got to see a full season of Slater in the Harbaugh program. Slater proved himself to the new regime. At minicamp earlier this offseason, Harbaugh included Slater in his group of “nine elite guys who train.”
With Slater signing his extension, the Chargers now have one of the best tackle duos in the league under control for the foreseeable future. The Chargers drafted Joe Alt in the first round last year, and he had an encouraging rookie season. Alt has three more years remaining on his rookie deal, and the Chargers can also pick up his fifth-year option in 2028.
Slater skipped voluntary organized team activities in late May and early June to maintain his training schedule in Dallas. He was present for the team’s mandatory minicamp, a sign that the once-tense negotiations had reached a more promising stage.
Slater reported for training camp and participated in the first two practices on July 17 and 18. He then sat out the next seven practices, working off to the side with the training staff. According to Harbaugh, Slater was initially dealing with a “minor” injury. But the contract situation certainly loomed over Slater’s practice absences, as he looked on in street clothes. Now the Chargers have locked up Slater for the long term, and their preparation for 2025 can commence with no distractions.
“Love ball,” Slater said then. “Love this team.”
(Photo of Justin Herbert and Rashawn Slater: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)
