As the Los Angeles Chargers sit just one week away from their opening kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals, almost all of the storylines that weighed over this offseason have been resolved. Apart from the lingering extension for Tuli Tuipulotu, that is.
It's, frankly, surprising that Los Angeles hasn't yet inked Tuipulotu beyond 2026. The organization as a whole, including Joe Hortiz and Jim Harbaugh, made it clear this offseason that it was a priority, and Tuipulotu even agreed to participate in training camp as the negotiations dragged on.
There is no true future for this pass rush without him, and Los Angeles needs to get things sorted out as quickly as possible.
Thankfully, though, it doesn't seem as though there's been a hard and fast deadline set by either party. Joe Hortiz, speaking with Chargers Weekly over the weekend, said that he doesn't subscribe to the idea of not negotiating deals in-season. He also claimed that Los Angeles and Tuipulotu are on the same page in terms of continuing to move forward even without a deal having been signed.
“I just told him we’ll keep working on this, and you keep doing you. When we get to a spot where you feel good about it, we’ll get it done.”
In some ways, this is a reassuring claim from the Chargers' GM. But the fact of the matter is that a deal should've already been done, and the longer it drags on, the greater risk both parties face.
Tuli Tuipulotu and the Chargers should be coming to an agreement eventually— but when?
It's important to acknowledge, first and foremost, that Tuipuilotu deserves to get paid.
When the Chargers let go of Joey Bosa last offseason, they desperately needed Tuipulotu to emerge as a true starting-caliber pass rusher next to Khalil Mack. He blew those expectations out of the water, posting 70 pressures and 13 total sacks in his third NFL season.
As vital as the addition of Odafe Oweh was last season—and as key as Akheem Mesidor's development will be in 2026—Tuipulotu is the threat that this pass rush currently revolves around. This may very well be Mack's final NFL season, and we won't know what we'll get out of Mesidor until we see him on the field.
Any uncertainty surrounding Tuipulotu's future, therefore, is uncertainty for the defense as a whole.
There is room to argue that the Chargers should wait until next offseason for a Tuipulotu extension. As of now, he'd likely command a contract north of $25 million annually over four years, putting him firmly in the second tier of edge rushers on the market. If his production were to decline at all in 2026, perhaps Los Angeles could shave $2 or $3 million annually off that price point.
But right now, they're planning on sending out their star defender with no assurance about his future. If he gets hurt two weeks into the season, how willing is he to push through his rehab without a deal in place? On the converse, how would a monstrous start to the season affect negotiations?
That's fine that Hortiz doesn't agree with the principle of avoiding in-season negotiations, and it almost certainly creates room for the Chargers to get something done sooner rather than later. But there's a reason many teams across the NFL don't operate that way—there's simply too much space for variance, and too much risk, in allowing your stars to enter contract seasons without new deals.
Especially when you have the cap space to pay them whatever they're worth.
Add us as a preferred source on Google