The Los Angeles Chargers, for the most part, have concluded their offseason business.
After making a flurry of additions through free agency and the Draft, they signed their most pivotal extension of the offseason, inking veteran safety Derwin James to a three-year, $75.6 million deal that will make him the highest-paid safety in the NFL (again).
Under Jesse Minter, James became the key cog in the Chargers defense, with his ability to slot in at the nickel/dime spot and play at all three levels of the field proving invaluable to the coordinator's zone-heavy scheme. He projects to play the same role under Chris O'Leary, making his extension a massive security blanket for Los Angeles moving forward.
The looming extension for pass rusher Tuli Tuipulotu takes a close second, though, in terms of importance this offseason.
With a decline inevitably coming for veteran defender Khalil Mack, Tuipulotu will be the star sack-getter the Chargers desperately need over the coming years. There's no room for Los Angeles to fool around on this one.
If possible, Tuipulotu needs to be locked down long-term when Los Angeles enters training camp.
Khalil Mack's decline is (unfortunately) on the horizon— it makes Tuipulotu's extension all the more important
Let's be clear. Mack is still a more-than-viable edge rusher— he's a bona-fide star and a highly-disruptive defender when he's healthy. But since his 17-sack campaign in 2023, the production hasn't been the same for Los Angeles. Mack posted just six sacks across 16 games in 24, before posting 5.5 in 12 games in 2025.
In fairness, Mack's 2025 campaign was limited by a gruesome arm injury he suffered in Week 2. The fact that he was able to return from that at all and continue to produce was highly impressive. But the fact of the matter is that Mack's declining production (and his injury) forced the Chargers to trade for Odafe Oweh, and their selection of Akheem Mesidor in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft was another direct response to this development.
As Mack enters his age 35 season on a one-year deal, it's very possible that this could be his final NFL season. Even if it's not, though, the Chargers cannot depend on Mack as an alpha pass rusher for much longer.
That's where Tuipulotu comes in. In his third season with Los Angeles, the USC product had a veritable breakout, posting 13 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and 23 QB hits over the course of the campaign. Of course, there are questions about whether he can keep up this level of production and whether a contract in excess of $25 million annually might be an overpay for a relatively small sample size.
But the truth is that, beyond Tuipulotu, Los Angeles doesn't have a real option to lead their pass rush moving forward. Mesidor, who's already 25 years old, could certainly develop into a highly-disruptive defender within the first couple years of his rookie deal. That doesn't solve the need, though.
Toying with Tuipulotu's contract, or even risking a potential hold-in as they head into training camp, should be a no-go for the Chargers. With so much up in the air surrounding both Mack and Mesidor's production in 2026, Los Angeles has no choice but to get Tuipulotu locked down as soon as possible.
Add us as a preferred source on Google