The Los Angeles Chargers have formed one of the best offensive lines in the NFL and their starting tackle duo of Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt might be the best combination in the league.
Slater signed a four-year, $16 million deal as a rookie and the team picked up his fifth-year option. He is set to make $19 million in 2025 but will be an unrestricted free agent at season's end. The Chargers likely won't let it come to that, particularly with the value Jim Harbaugh places on the offensive line.
Slater will soon be set for a big payday. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report discussed the 10 biggest extension decisions facing teams this season and he predicts that Slater will sign a deal that will pay him up to $100 million more than the rookie deal he signed.
"In his first year under head coach Jim Harbaugh, Rashawn Slater made the AFC Pro Bowl roster, just as he did as a rookie in 2021.
Aside from an injury-shortened 2022 season, Slater has put together quality years in Los Angeles. Under Harbaugh, he's an essential cog in a physical offense.
After the draft, general manager Joe Hortiz said he's "hopeful" to get a deal done.
With the addition of running backs Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton, expect the Chargers to keep the offensive line intact with their two-time Pro Bowl left tackle on a new contract.
The Athletic's Daniel Popper expects the Chargers to make Slater the league's highest-paid offensive tackle.
Verdict: Chargers sign Slater to a four-year, $116 million extension", wrote Moton.
Slater has been fantastic for the Chargers and is on a short list of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. Keeping he and Alt together for several years to come might be the top priority of this front office and that means that Slater will likely sign a deal in the neighborhood of what Moton predicted sometime in the near future.
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