La Chargers suffer from devastating setbacks with the Rashawn Slater injury

When Rashawn Slater, the huge left -wing tackle of the Los Angeles Chargers, fell into practice on Thursday, the reverb on and next to the field was felt.

Slater, who recently signed a four -year contract extension of $ 114 million, including $ 92 million, was guaranteed a seasonal knee injury when taking back in pass protection to assume a block of Linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu.

Slater tore the patella tendon in his left knee. He will undergo an operation that derails his season and also places a dent in the allocation of the salary hood of the Chargers.

Only three chargers count more against the cap more than Slater’s hit of $ 14.8 million: Quarterback Justin Herbert ($ 37.3 million), Linebacker Khalil Mack ($ 26.8 million) and Safety Derwin James ($ 23.8 million).

Slater, a double Pro Bowler and a second team All-Pro, De Standaard for his position with an average annual salary of $ 28.5 million in the deal that connects him to the Chargers until 2029.

But it is 2025 that everyone is concerned with in the Chargers camp as the most important Blocker to protect Herbert’s Blindide, this year’s action will look at street clothing.

Slater suffered a torn biceps in 2022 and he missed 13 games and had other small injuries. But nothing as important as what happened on Thursday.

When Slater went out, Tackle Joe Alt, a former first round pick like Slater, to the right. Alt, who comes from an excellent Rookie season and a left tackle was at Notre Dame, was replaced by veteran Trey Pipkins III.

It is difficult to exaggerate the importance of Slater in a Run-first, gravel-it-out attack such as the Chargers’. The team continued to rebuild the interior of De Lijn in the low season and knew it had two stars in Slater and Alt.

That remake included the signing of free-agent Mekhi Becton for a two-year contract of $ 20 million and trying to move disappointing guard Zion Johnson in the middle and replace Bradley Bozeman.

But Johnson never went to the new position and is back at the left guard with Bozeman in the middle. The chargers were disappointed that something new and did not strengthen themselves, but at least they were safe on the edges.

Unfortunately, all of that changed during a routine -blocking exercise on a sizzling day in South California. Slater, the man who is expected to keep the heat of Herbert, will only play again in 2026.