Derwin James is entering the final year of his current contract, and Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz says an extension remains the team’s top priority as talks are expected to accelerate after the draft.
For the Chargers, Derwin James has never been just a starter. He’s been the kind of player who anchors a room.
Safety Derwin James has been with Los Angeles since entering the NFL in 2018. Now. as he moves into the final year of his current contract. the team wants the relationship to continue for the long haul. General manager Joe Hortiz said last month that he expected talks about a new deal to speed up after the draft. and with almost June now approaching. Hortiz made it clear the priority hasn’t slipped.
“It’s high, it’s high,” Hortiz said on Up & Adams. He framed James’ standing in the organization as something that goes back to the team’s evaluation process long before negotiations ever became urgent.
Hortiz recalled how James was viewed in the draft. “I’ve told the story, in Baltimore we had Derwin up there as the number one player on our board in that draft, you know, the No. 1 player available when we were picking. And we took a trade back and he got picked.”
The trade-back detail matters because Hortiz said he remembers speaking directly to James when they first met. “I said to him when I first met him, I’m like, ‘Gosh, you should’ve been a Raven. We traded away from you, but I’m glad you’re not because I’m here now.’”
What Hortiz emphasized next wasn’t only production or talent—it was what James brings as a presence. “He’s such a special, special leader and person. Like Justin [Herbert]. the talent is real and it’s there. but the leader and motivator and energy he gives to everybody within the organization. throughout the entire building. it’s so unique.” Hortiz added that he’s seen that combination before. but rarely. “One of the best I’ve ever been around in terms of leadership, talent and character.”.
As the talks move into this late-contract stretch. Hortiz also pointed to the reasons James remains so valuable on the field. James has been both productive and durable over recent seasons. and he’ll get a chance to keep doing both for the Chargers as long as everything goes well at the negotiating table.
The sequence is straightforward: James enters his final contract year after the team anticipated accelerated talks post-draft. and Hortiz’s message on June timing is that the work still sits at the very top of the priority list—because the organization believes it found more than a player it could win with. it found a leader it wants to keep.
Derwin James Los Angeles Chargers Joe Hortiz contract extension NFL safety Justin Herbert Up & Adams