There's been no shortage of intrigue for the Los Angeles Chargers— at least relative to what the first week of training camp can usually provide.
We've had our risers in Brenen Thompson and Akheem Mesidor, and we have our looming position battles at left guard and in the safety room. Although the pads haven't come on yet, each rep has provided some sort of insight into what shape the final 53-man roster will take. At the very least, we've gotten updates, and the longest, slowest portion of the offseason has come to an end.
For everyone, that is, outside of OLB Tuli Tuipulotu.
Tuipulotu is still engaged in negotiations with the Chargers front office as he enters the final season of his rookie deal. As of now, all indications point to them finding a middle ground eventually. But we don't have much intel on what price point he's seeking out and what the hold up is on the front office's part.
Although Tuipulotu has been on the field and practicing in an individual capacity, he has yet to participate in team drills. As the Chargers enter Week 2 of training camp, they should have one thing on their minds— getting Tuipulotu on the field and working his way into Chris O'Leary's new defensive scheme.
We're approaching ASAP territory on the Tuli Tuipulotu extension
It makes perfect sense why Tuipulotu might be pushing to maximize his value on his next contract. He broke out last season after the departure of Joey Bosa, posting 49 combined tackles, 13.0 sacks, and 20 tackles for loss across 16 games. With a limited season production-wise from Khalil Mack and the uncertain future of Odafe Oweh hanging over the team, Tuipulotu stepped up as the alpha pass rusher.
The two highest paid pass rushers this offseason were Trey Hendrickson, who signed a four-year, $112 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens, and Jaelan Phillips, who signed a four-year, $120 million deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tuipulotu might not hit either of those benchmarks, but he should certainly surpass Oweh, who inked a four-year, $96 million deal with the Washington Commanders.
Los Angeles likely isn't trying to lowball Tuipulotu. They need him on the field this season, and they have the cap space (just over $41 million) to make it work. They do have extensions for Joe Alt and a fifth-year option for Ladd McConkey looming in the near future, and those are extant considerations.
But on the whole, there's no excuse not to pay Tuipulotu what he's worth. It likely comes down to the guarantees and incentives on his contract.
So far through training camp, Tuipulotu has been seen participating in individual drills with a jersey and helmet on, which is further than many hold-ins get. Jim Harbaugh described this period as a "ramp-up" for the pass rusher, but he declined to put a label on Tuipulotu's decision to sit out portions of practice.
But the Chargers need time and reps for O'Leary to work with his full arsenal of pass rushers. His ability to maneuver them and mix the outside linebackers on the roster will be crucial to his zone-heavy approach, just as it was for Jesse Minter last season.
The sooner Tuipulotu gets on the field, then, the better. As we enter the second week of training camp, the Chargers need to get this deal done as quickly as possible.
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