Chargers rookie WR Tre Harris is a contractual holdout as he did not report to LA's training camp yesterday. As two other second-round picks received fully guaranteed contracts, Harris is clearly willing to fight for the same. 30 of April's 32 second-round picks from the NFL Draft remain unsigned.
We'll have to see how that situation shakes out. While Harris is the first reported holdout because the Chargers started camp earlier, it does sound like more players will follow. As of now, it's an issue less specific to LA's front office. Agents and front offices will continue to deliberate on a rather messy situation.
On the other hand, a different contract situation is more specific to the Chargers. LT Rashawn Slater still needs a new contract. Slater missed OTAs for the first time in his career, but was a full participant in June's minicamp.
The Chargers are unable to avoid any holdups leading to training camp
At minicamp, Slater made it clear how important attending team practices and training sessions was key to him. "It's my team. I'm in a contract. I don't want to miss any time," Slater said back in June. "I love being here. It's important, this is what we do. I love these guys, I wouldn't miss that. Just pretty simple."
Would not having an extension done for Slater affect his training camp attendance? It's not impossible, but all signs so far point to him attending. Unlike other contract negotiation instances like Micah Parsons or T.J. Watt, it does seem like the Chargers are on more amicable terms with their star LT, considering Slater's full participation in minicamp last month.
Historically, the Chargers have liked getting their extensions done in training camp and the preseason. Justin Herbert got his deal done on July 25th, 2023. Safety Derwin James had his contract extension signed by August 17th, 2022. Former Chargers stars Joey Bosa and Keenan Allen both got their big-money deals done late in the summer of 2020.
It's more a matter of when than if for Slater's eventual signing. But when it happens and what the exact structure of the deal is remains to be seen. We'll see if there's any traction on an extension when the Chargers' veteran players report to camp on Wednesday.