Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater will miss the entire 2025 season after suffering a torn patellar tendon in practice on Thursday, the team announced. Slater, who signed a four-year, $114 million contract that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history just a week ago, will undergo surgery and will not play this season.
The injury occurred when the Chargers were working in an 11-on-11 period and another player appeared to fall on Slater’s left leg. Trainers came out and examined Slater briefly before assisting him onto a cart to be taken off the field. According to Daniel Popper of The Athletic, Slater then “slammed his hand on the cart and buried his head in his hands.”
The No. 13 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Slater has become an invaluable piece of the Los Angeles offensive line. Slater made an immediate impact for the franchise, starting all 16 games as a rookie and earning first-team All-Rookie honors and a Pro Bowl nod.
Since then, Slater has started 35 games for the Chargers, and he turned in another exceptional season last fall. Per TruMedia, Slater allowed just three sacks on 510 pass-blocking snaps while earning his second Pro Bowl appearance.
As the lineman tasked with protecting star quarterback Justin Herbert’s blindside, Slater was paid like a foundational piece this offseason. Just last week, Slater inked a four-year contract worth $114 million with $92 million guaranteed. That deal made Slater the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
This will be the second time in the last four seasons that Slater has missed significant time due to injury. In 2023, Slater tore his bicep in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and he missed the remainder of the season as a result.
With Slater out for the year, the Chargers will now have to explore other options at left tackle. Second-year lineman Joe Alt is currently the starting right tackle, but he did play left tackle in college at Notre Dame. Beyond Alt, Trey Pipkins III and Ryan Nelson were listed as backup left tackle options on the Chargers’ first depth chart of training camp.
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