Sources - Chargers reach 4-year, $114M deal with Rashawn Slater - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Chargers and two-time Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater agreed Sunday on a four-year $114 million contract extension that includes $92 million guaranteed, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

The contract makes Slater the highest-paid offensive lineman by average annual pay in a contract in NFL history. Slater has been extension-eligible since last offseason, but general manager Joe Hortiz and the Chargers chose to wait while others at his position in his 2021 draft class signed lucrative extensions, including the Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell (4 years, $112 million, $85 million guaranteed) and Minnesota Vikings' Christian Darrisaw (4 years, $104 million, $67 million guaranteed).

The Chargers announced Sunday they reached an extension with Slater but did not disclose terms of the contract.

The $28.5 million average per year in Rashawn Slater's new contract with the Chargers sets a record for NFL offensive linemen.

When Hortiz and Harbaugh arrived last February, Slater had just finished an inconsistent 2023 season. But in 2024, he returned to his place among the league's best tackles, earning himself a record breaking pay day.

Slater hasn't practiced with the team since July 18; he's been working off to the side with executive director of player performance Ben Herbert as he works through what Harbaugh called a minor injury. Still, his signing is one of the most important pieces to this Chargers team having success.

Dominant rushing offenses have always buoyed Harbaugh's teams, so having a premier offensive line is paramount. In Harbaugh's first draft with the Chargers, he took criticism from many for the team's decision to draft tackle Joe Alt at No. 5 instead of a pass catcher like Malik