Star Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater suffered a season-ending ruptured patellar tendon in practice Thursday, the team said.
Slater will undergo surgery and will be placed on injured reserve
The Pro Bowl tackle had started blocking outside linebacker Tuli Tuipulotu during a team drill Thursday, but he began collapsing before Tuipulotu rushed him and immediately grabbed his left leg. Slater was down with an athletic trainer for a few minutes as safety Derwin James Jr. and Denzel Perryman prayed. Eventually, Slater, unable to put weight on the leg, was helped to his feet by trainers and teammates.
It’s a massive loss for the Chargers ahead of Week 1. Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman predicate their offenses on dominant rushing attacks, and because of that, offensive linemen are perhaps the team’s most important players.
Slater is arguably the best at his job in the league.
Just 11 days ago, he signed a four-year $114 million contract extension, including $92 million guaranteed. The deal made him the highest-paid offensive lineman by average annual pay in a contract in NFL history.
With Slater out, the Chargers will likely move Joe Alt, the fifth pick in last year’s draft, to left tackle and Trey Pipkins to right. Pipkins started at right tackle in the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
