Chargers Discussing Extensions With Derwin James, Tuli Tuipulotu
Safety Derwin James and edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu are pending 2027 free agents as things stand. That may not be the case for much longer.
When speaking to reporters during his pre-draft press conference, Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz said (via ESPN’s Kris Rhim) conversations have taken place with the agents of both players. Extension talks are likely to pick up after next week’s draft, to no surprise. Working out a deal in each case would take care of an important piece of offseason business.
James has been a defensive pillar for the Bolts since arriving in 2018. This past season saw him deliver another strong outing, and it yielded a fifth Pro Bowl nod along with a third appearance on the second All-Pro team. James was recently named as a candidate to seek out a new contract ahead of training camp this summer. Based on Hortiz’s comments, there is a mutual interest in working out a third Chargers pact.
Team and player agreed to a $19MM-per-year accord in 2022. The safety market has risen since then, and Kyle Hamilton now leads the way at $25MM annually. Two other safeties are ahead of James in terms of AAV, and a move up the pecking order may be in store. James is approaching his age-30 season, though, so a shorter term may be sought out by the Chargers during negotiations. In any case, a fresh round of guarantees can be expected.
The edge rush spot was a key talking point entering free agency for Los Angeles. Khalil Mack and Odafe Oweh remained on track for the open market until Mack ultimately re-signed; Oweh has since departed. As of February, no extension talks with Tuipulotu’s camp had taken place. Working out a long-term deal would be key in his case, however, with Mack once again a candidate to retire at the end of the year.
Tuipulotu has seen his sack production increase over each of his three NFL seasons. He posted 13 in 2025, earning a Pro Bowl nod along the way and further establishing himself as a core member of the Chargers’ defense. At the age of 23, the USC product profiles as a logical candidate for a big-ticket deal this summer. A major raise will be in store compared to the $5.77MM in base salary Tuipulotu is owed for 2026, but Hortiz has made clear his preference for extending in-house players over spending big on outside free agents.
With that in mind, both James and Tuipulotu could very well have new contracts in hand by the time training camp begins in July. Attention will be focused on the draft over the coming days, but afterwards the Chargers will shift to contract talks in each of these cases.
Chargers Want To Re-Sign OLBs Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh
The Chargers are not expected to be aggressive with outside free agents; that keeps with the team’s Joe Hortiz-Jim Harbaugh regime trend through two offseasons. But the Bolts do have some high-end UFAs-to-be they want to retain.
Guard Zion Johnson is unattached, as are their two Tuli Tuipulotu sidekick options — Khalil Mack, Odafe Oweh. Although Tuipulotu is now extension-eligible after a breakthrough third season, Hortiz wants both Mack and Oweh back.
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“They know we want them back,” Hortiz said of Mack and Oweh, via The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. “When players go into free agency, once the season ends, it takes a little bit of time, but we’ll keep chipping away at it, and we’ll see if we can get something done with them. I have no problem having a bunch of great edge rushers.”
Mack played out a one-year, $18MM deal — the highest non-QB one-year pact in NFL history — and turned 35 on Sunday. Missing time with a dislocated elbow, Mack was back after the four-game IR minimum to help a Bolts pass rush refueled by the Oweh trade. The Chargers and Ravens swapped picks along with Oweh and safety Alohi Gilman. Both are moving toward free agency. Oweh impressed after a slow start in his final Ravens stretch. After registering zero sacks with Baltimore last year, he surged to 7.5 in 12 Los Angeles games.
As we covered in our Chargers Offseason Outlook piece, the team holds more than $80MM in cap space and can reach around $100MM with reasonable cuts. That would keep the door open for another Mack contract, and both an Oweh re-signing and Tuipulotu extension could coexist considering all the space available. The Chargers have not spent much on defense since Harbaugh’s arrival, but an Oweh re-signing would change that. No Tuipulotu extension talks have commenced yet, per Hortiz.
L.A. is not expected to tag Oweh; that move is projected to cost upwards of $28MM. This would be a way to ensure the 2021 first-rounder stays, but the team still has until March 9 to conduct exclusive negotiations with the 27-year-old EDGE’s camp. If Oweh reaches the market, he will join Jaelan Phillips, Trey Hendrickson, Kwity Paye and Bradley Chubb among this FA class’ top edge rushers.
Mack has played the past four seasons with the Bolts, accepting a pay cut in 2024 and re-signing in ’25. While Mack has only produced one season with more than eight sacks as a Charger (17.5 in 2023), he has remained a productive cog into his mid-30s.
Hortiz was less definitive about the team’s stance with Johnson, who saw his fifth-year option declined in 2025. Addressing Johnson’s free agency, the third-year GM said the Chargers will “see how the market goes, if he gets to the market.”
With this year’s guard class including several older players, Johnson could cash in. Popper projects a deal that could reach $20MM per year. Johnson joins Ed Ingram, Dylan Parham and Daniel Faalele as notable first-time UFA guards. The 2022 Bolts first-rounder has been durable — among the only Charger O-linemen able to make that claim — and has served as a four-year starter.
Declining to address whether the Chargers would move off Mekhi Becton‘s two-year, $20MM contract after a disappointing season, Hortiz said the team will “try” to replace the recently retired Bradley Bozeman in free agency. The veteran center loomed as a cut candidate but opted to retire after eight seasons.
Chargers Sign Round 2 OLB Tuli Tuipulotu, Wrap Draft Class Deals
Playing at a Los Angeles-area high school and then at USC, Tuli Tuipulotu will make a smooth transition to the NFL. The Chargers chose the pass rusher at No. 54 overall. He is now set to start training camp on time.
The AFC’s Los Angeles franchise signed its second-round pick Monday. This completes the Bolts’ latest round of draft class deals. First-rounder Quentin Johnston signed last month. Like Johnston, Tuipulotu joins a position group housing two entrenched veterans.
Joey Bosa is entering his seventh NFL season, and his big-ticket contract remains a top-five pact among edge rushers. The Bolts still have Khalil Mack, a 2022 trade acquisition, as well. But the team played much of last season without Bosa, who has battled a number of injuries as a pro. Tuipulotu brings a proven track record as a college pass rusher. Barring another major injury to one of their starters, the Chargers figure to work in the young player as a rotational option behind Bosa and Mack.
Tuipulotu recorded 13.5 sacks with the Trojans last season, soaring to Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year acclaim and All-American honors. That sack count led the Pac-12 and ranked third in Division I-FBS; the accomplished edge defender added 22 tackles for loss. Tuipulotu worked as a 28-game starter in college. Given Mack’s status, it is not out of the question the rookie will begin a lengthy NFL first-string run in the not-too-distant future.
Mack is still tied to the contract the Bears gave him upon acquiring him from the Raiders in 2018’s late-summer blockbuster. That six-year extension runs through the 2024 season, but Mack’s cap number — thanks to yet another restructure this offseason — shoots to $38.5MM next year. With no guarantees left on the deal, it is not hard to see the Chargers evaluating Tulipulotu’s rookie year with Mack’s future in mind. For this year, however, the Bolts boast an intriguing setup that should allow for the rookie to develop behind two standouts. The team has not re-signed 2022 cog Kyle Van Noy.
Here is the Chargers’ 2023 draft class:
Round 1, No. 21: Quentin Johnston, WR (TCU) (signed)
Round 2, No. 54: Tuli Tuipulotu, OLB (USC) (signed)
Round 3, No. 85: Daiyan Henley, LB (Washington State) (signed)
Round 4, No. 125: Derius Davis, WR (TCU) (signed)
Round 5, No. 156: Jordan McFadden, G (Clemson) (signed)
Round 6, No. 200: Scott Matlock, DT (Boise State) (signed)
Round 7, No. 239: Max Duggan, QB (TCU) (signed)