The Los Angeles Chargers still have a clear mandate between now and the end of August— iron out Tuli Tuipulotu's next contract, and enter the season with his long-term future sorted out.
But when Tuipulotu began Chargers training camp in a 'hold-in' of sorts, the concerns were placed upon a more immediate timeline. If Los Angeles' lead pass rusher was going to be limited through most of camp and the preseason, would new defensive coordinator Chris O'Leary have the time he needed to implement to new expressions of his scheme? How quickly could Tuipulotu acclimate to what O'Leary was going to ask of him?
On most counts, O'Leary's scheme will run similary to Jesse Minter's, at least in terms of its infrastructure. But especially along the defensive front, there will be differences in how O'Leary looks to balance the Chargers' weapons.
Tuipulotu has slowly ramped up over the course of the second week of training camp. As the Chargers prepare to kick off Week 3, O'Leary said in his press availability today that Tuipulotu is "really rolling now"— which we can take as a positive sign that he'll be fully ready for the start of the season no matter how his contract saga unfolds.
Chargers DC Chris O'Leary on Tuli Tuipulotu's full return to practice: "He's really rolling now. I like how he looks."
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) August 9, 2026
Tuli Tuipulotu is at full force in Chargers training camp— and that's an excellent sign
No matter how you want to spin it, Tuipulotu deserves to get paid. Even just on the shoulders of his 13.5-sack, 70-pressure season, that would ring true. But the Chargers also have the futures of both Khalil Mack and Akheem Mesidor to consider. There's no guarantee that Mack will continue to play beyond this season, and Mesidor is an unproven quantity until he actually produces at the NFL level.
There's a case to be made that waiting for a potential down year from Tuipulotu to capitalize on a lower market might be the wisest move for Los Angeles. But in O'Leary's aggressive scheme, that's not likely to be a solid bet.
Tuipulotu should earn somewhere around a four-year, $100 million deal, perhaps stretching higher if the market dictates it.
But until further notice, there doesn't seem to be any real concern about the Chargers and Tuipulotu ironing out a contract before the start of the season. The true concern lied in any potential of a true 'hold-in' during training camp.
Tuipulotu, however, has steadily ramped up his involvement in team drills over the past few practices. While he began by simply taking a rep or two and walking off, he's been a full participant in 11-on-11s since Wednesday, and he's continued to ramp up his involvement and intensity through the weekend.
Although we don't have any concrete contract updates yet, that's a truly positive sign for Tuipulotu's readiness for Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals
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