Some moves are so straightforward that they should be made at the earliest possible moment. That is the situation the LA Chargers find themselves in with franchise left tackle, Rashawn Slater.
Slater, who was drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, is eligible for a contract extension and is currently slated to play under his fifth-year rookie option in 2025. The fifth-year option is worth just over $19 million in guaranteed salary.
NFL players can negotiate extensions after the third year of their rookie contract. Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell, for example, signed an extension last offseason despite being drafted the same year as Slater. Nearly one full year later, the Chargers still haven't signed Slater to a contract extension.
Chargers are bafflingly dragging their feet on Rashawn Slater extension
There is absolutely no harm in getting an extension done as soon as possible. In fact, there is more to lose by letting the process play out longer than it should. In a perfect world, the Chargers would have already had a deal in place with Slater.
The Chargers are risking multiple things by letting this process play out. First, the team is risking letting this bleed into training camp, which would make it a distraction. While the two sides would likely come to an agreement before the start of the season, the last thing the Bolts need is for the franchise left tackle to get off to a late start because of contract negotiations.
More potently, the Chargers are only increasing the price by letting this process play out. The longer the Chargers wait the more opportunity there is for other tackles to sign extensions that increase the market value. As a top name on the market, Slater is going to want to continue growing that market cap.
There is also an immediate monetary benefit of getting the extension done as soon as possible. According to Over The Cap, the Chargers would free up just under $14.3 million in cap space in 2025 by extending Slater this offseason.
At this point in the offseason, that added cap space may not matter much as the top-tier free agents are off the market. However, the Chargers could have given themselves even more space to avoid having the disappointing offseason they have had thus far.
The Chargers have been rather timid in their spending, especially in long-term deals. This indicates that the team is preparing for large salaries on the books in future years, which foreshadows a Slater extension.
However, if the team is already preparing the multi-year impact of a Slater extension, why not just get the deal done as soon as possible? What good comes out of waiting to extend one of the franchise's fundamental cornerstones?
Perhaps the front office is laser-focused on the NFL Draft and will work out extension details shortly thereafter. In a perfect world, though, it would not have taken this long to begin with.