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Rashawn Slater reports to Chargers media day amid contract buzz
Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Chargers have something plenty of teams don't: a star left tackle. A blindside protector for your quarterback is an extremely important piece in roster building. Luckily for Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh, Slater was already on the roster when they took over last offseason. They have the easy part now, which is paying Slater what he deserves.

Not to say that contract negotiations are easy by any means, but everybody knows Slater is next in line for a major payday. He originally skipped the start of OTAs due to the lack of an extension, but the Chargers' star left tackle appeared at media day.

Looking at the current top left tackle contracts in the NFL, the average annual value tops out at $27.5 million. That deal belongs to veteran Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers. Williams doesn't have the highest total value, however. That contract belongs to Andrew Thomas of the New York Giants, who is currently playing on a five year, $117.5 million deal.

If Slater is looking to reset the market, one would have to think that a $30 million per year deal would be the starting point. He's currently slated to play this season on the $19 million fifth-year option, but it's good to see Slater in the building despite wanting a new deal.

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This article first appeared on Los Angeles Chargers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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