With the completion of their rookie class signings, the Los Angeles Chargers have brought most of their business this offseason to a close.
For the most part, their roster is entirely complete. They've done an excellent job filling out their depth on both sides of the ball. With two new coordinators at the helm in Mike McDaniel and Chris O'Leary, the potential for them to maximize this talent is ridiculously high. As far as 2026 goes, Chargers fans should feel highly confident.
To this point, this has been the most pivotal offseason under the tenure of Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh. But the organization must now turn its attention to its final, and perhaps its most daunting, task— extending edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu.
In Aaron Schatz's recent piece for ESPN, in which he highlighted the one major move remaining for every front office this offseason, he made the Chargers' mandate clear. Tuipulotu should be a long-term cornerstone of their defense, and they need to make sure he's locked down long-term.
"Tuipulotu, who turns 24 on Sept. 3, led the Chargers with 13 sacks in 2025 but is entering the final year of his rookie contract. He entered the league very young, so there's still growth potential for a player who is already producing at a high level. Yes, the Chargers just drafted Akheem Mesidor, and they have veterans such as Khalil Mack and Bud Dupree around, but they want to extend Tuipulotu so he can team with Derwin James Jr. as the talents the Los Angeles defense is built around." Aaron Schatz, ESPN
Tuli Tuipulotu's extension could cement the Chargers' emergence into a new era
Tuipulotu was ridiculously impressive in 2025, posting 13 sacks, 70 pressures, and two forced fumbles across 16 games. With the departure of Joey Bosa and the (albeit slow) decline of Khalil Mack, this emergence couldn't have come at a better time for the Chargers.
Now it's time to pay the piper, though. As edge rusher contracts continue to climb, Tuipulotu could certainly command somewhere north of $25 million annually. The Chargers could theoretically kick the can down the road, instead looking to sign Tuipulotu next offseason and gamble on a down year from a production standpoint.
While that not only creates the issue of a potential hold-in, though, many of the Chargers' decisions this offseason were clearly made with the intention of extending both Tuipulotu and Derwin James. Although they began free agency with the most cap space in the NFL, they didn't go all-in on free agents like Tyler Linderbaum. As we await training camp, Los Angeles still has over $41 million left to spend.
James already got his extension— a three-year, $75.6 million deal that will yet again make him the highest-paid safety in the NFL.
But the Chargers' moves this offseason, although they were perhaps limited from a purely financial standpoint, have the chance to change the entire trajectory of the organization under this current regime. They completely revamped their offensive protection and many of their weapons, adding Tyler Biadasz, Cole Strange, Keaton Mitchell, Alec Ingold, Charlie Kolar, and David Njoku in free agency. Each player should have a major role to play in the implementation of Mike McDaniel's offensive scheme.
While their defensive additions were more limited, nose tackle Dalvin Tomlinson should help their run defense immediately. Genesis Smith and Nick Barrett, Los Angeles' two rookie defenders, also have a chance to carve out major roles in 2026.
Getting Tuipulotu's extension done, therefore, will give the Chargers a secure grasp on one of the most important players in this new era of Los Angeles football. It's their final item of business for the offseason, and it's perhaps the most important move they'll make.
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