high priority – GM Joe Hortiz made Derwin James sound non-negotiable for the Chargers, as the veteran safety heads into the final year of his deal. James, who has multiple Pro Bowls and All-Pro recognition, is also tied to a larger roster picture as Los Angeles locks in key d
Joe Hortiz didn’t talk around Derwin James when the subject turned to the Chargers’ future.
Derwin James, 29, is entering the final year of his contract after signing a four-year, $76.5 million extension in 2022. He joined Los Angeles as a first-round pick in 2018, and the safety has been a steady force in the Chargers’ defense ever since.
In his rookie season, James made the first-team All-Pro roster and earned his first Pro Bowl nod. Across 16 games, he logged 105 tackles, six QB hits, four tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions.
Now. with the question of his next contract hanging over the offseason. Hortiz’s stance lands with extra weight: James has been “definitely” worthy of another deal for the Chargers. What makes that claim feel urgent is the calendar. While whether an agreement comes in the summer is still unclear. James is already heading toward the moment when he’ll be back on the practice field—football pads and all.
James has also built a resume that the Chargers have treated like more than background noise. After sitting out the 2020 season due to a knee injury. he has still managed five Pro Bowl appearances in his first seven seasons with Los Angeles. As he enters his eighth year in the NFL. the conversation isn’t just about what he’s done—it’s about what Los Angeles expects to keep building.
That roster-building piece matters because the Chargers aren’t operating on a pause while they negotiate. Hortiz has retained several key players for the upcoming 2026 season. Defensive tackle Teair Tart signed a three-year deal. Khalil Mack—nine-time Pro Bowl pass rusher—is returning on a one-year pact. Denzel Perryman and Tony Jefferson, two veterans, are also running it back for another season in Los Angeles.
When the Chargers begin minicamp June 16-18, the timing tightens. It’s possible Hortiz and James can get a deal before the safety puts on pads in the summer, and before the team’s offseason work shifts from negotiations to the kind of practice that can’t wait for contract details to settle.
The picture forming in Los Angeles is simple: the Chargers are shaping next season’s defensive identity while making sure the centerpiece they already know—James—doesn’t slip out of reach.
Derwin James Joe Hortiz Los Angeles Chargers contract extension safety minicamp June 16-18 Teair Tart Khalil Mack Denzel Perryman Tony Jefferson NFL
So they’re “non-negotiable” about him but still wait till summer? Cool cool.
Derwin James is definitely worth it but these teams always say that and then act surprised when the cap gets tight. Also he had the knee thing right? I feel like that should’ve been part of the convo.
I think this is more about Joe Hortiz keeping his job than about safety. Like if he lets James walk that’s on him. But then they sign Mack and Tart and all that so maybe it’s just PR talk?
Minicamp June 16-18… so he’ll be in pads while they argue money? I saw somewhere he already got extended, unless that was a different Derwin James? Chargers gonna pay everyone but somehow the “future” is always unclear lol.