Chargers fans urged not to panic over Rashawn Slater absence right now

The Los Angeles Chargers don’t have much of a reason to panic over the Rashawn Slater absence right now. 

Everyone with even a casual knowledge of the NFL knows the Chargers and Slater will eventually iron out a long-term contract extension that keeps him in Los Angeles for the long term. 

Still, the fact Slater wasn’t present at recent spring work means he pops up on leaguewide holdout analysis, such as a recent panic-meter writeup from Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton.

There, the panic meter is as low as possible on Slater at a “1” with Moton writing the following: 

“Los Angeles has $26.8 million in cap space and a projected league-high $110.9 million for 2026. The front office has no reason to let this contract situation evolve into a full-blown holdout.”

The Chargers were a little more conservative than outsiders might’ve expected for a team that was near the top of the NFL in terms of cap space entering free agency this offseason. That, plus the huge number of needs around an elite passer like Justin Herbert. 

Meaning, the Chargers are clearly angling themselves as a team that drafts well and pays up big to keep key players. That’s undoubtedly going to extend to Slater. The team didn’t stumble into arguably the best tackle duo in the NFL with Slater and Joe Alt just to lose one guy a few seasons later after holdout drama. 

There is, of course, the Jim Harbaugh factor, too. His old-school approach to running the ball was well emphasized this offseason when adding Najee Harris and first-rounder Omarion Hampton, plus spending huge on guard Mekhi Becton. Under his watch, the team is highly unlikely to let contract drama with a top offensive lineman play out for long.