Los Angeles Chargers should make Justin Herbert feel better and reward one of their best players before they actually have to

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Adam Holt | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 11:33 AM ET

Rashawn Slater has absolutely made a name for himself among his NFL counterparts. The Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle has turned into a consistent stalwart for Jim Harbaugh's team.

Quarterback Justin Herbert would be excited to see one of his most talented teammates get rewarded for his consistency and upside going forward as well.

An early extension for Rashawn Slater

In a recent article from ESPN, Aaron Schatz evaluated and proposed one move for each NFL team to make this offseason. He noted that Los Angeles should extend the top-flight OT before the season.

Extend left tackle Rashawn Slater

We're going 4-for-4 on extensions in the AFC West, where some really important offensive linemen are facing free agency after the 2025 season. For the Chargers, that means left tackle Slater, whose rookie contract is about to end.

Last season, Slater ranked 22nd among qualifying tackles in pass block win rate (90.7%) and 10th in run block win rate (78.6%). Los Angeles has a few linemen who will be free agents after 2025, including Zion Johnson and Trey Pipkins III, but there's no question that Slater is the one it needs long term. -- Aaron Schatz, ESPN

Slater is entering his final year under contract with the Chargers. Los Angeles smartly picked up his fifth-year option for his rookie contract last year. Along with Joe Alt, the Chargers have one of the most impressive, young tackle duos in the entire NFL.

Chargers LT Rashawn Slater on attending mandatory minicamp despite contract extension negotiations: "I don't want to miss any time. I love being here. It's important. This is what we do, I love these guys."

on if contract gets done before season: "We'll see, I'm focused on… pic.twitter.com/fVLqsHsGpn
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) June 12, 2025

The price won't be cheap for Los Angeles

An extension would not be cheap for Slater. He would probably enter the top five highest-paid tackles group with a new deal, but LA has the cap space to make it happen. Slater is a two-time Pro Bowl selection and also made second-team All-Pro once.

According to OverTheCap, the Chargers currently have just over $27 million in cap space as we get close to the end of June. That's a lot of room to work. Slater's cap hit for this season is just over $19M.

There are currently six offensive tackles making $25M or more per year (AAV). Tristan Wirfs and Penei Sewell headline that group. It's incredibly likely that Slater would get close to that sort of price whenever his extension does happen.

“To be honest with you I’m just going to continue training. … I haven’t really thought that far ahead but obviously my intention is to play this year.”

-- Slater on a potential contract hold out

If the Chargers are smart, they'd go ahead and get that deal done to prevent any sort of drama or competition on the open market next offseason. Protecting Justin Herbert should be (and is) at the top of the to-do list on an annual basis for Jim Harbaugh's club. Locking Slater down for the foreseeable future is a smart step for that task.