Chargers OT Rashawn Slater feels ‘amazing’ after signing extension

EL SEGUNDO — One day after he signed a four-year, $114 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid left tackle in the history of the NFL by average annual salary, Rashawn Slater rejoined his Chargers teammates for a few individual drills before heading to the sideline Monday.

Slater hasn’t participated in a full practice since Day 2 of training camp on July 18. Monday marked the Chargers’ 10th day of camp. It turned out that he arrived at camp with a painful blister on his right foot, the result of an offseason training program that was a little too intense, as it turned out.

“I went out for the first couple of days of practice, but it just didn’t feel good,” Slater said in his first public comments since the Chargers’ minicamp back in June.

So, the Chargers’ medical staff took a look at the blister and “carved it out,” as Slater explained it. That was why he sat out for seven consecutive practices. It had nothing to do with holding-in, as safety Derwin James Jr. did for about a week before completing his extension in 2022.

“There’s a pretty big hole in my foot,” Slater said, laughing as he spared reporters further details of his injury.

Slater said he expected to do more on the field Tuesday, but there was no timetable for his return to full participation. The Chargers practice for the 11th time on Tuesday, then travel Wednesday to Canton, Ohio, for a date with the Detroit Lions in the Hall of Fame Game on Thursday night.

He also said neither the massive new contract, which runs through the 2029 season, nor the injury would change his approach to his preparations for the upcoming season. He hasn’t changed a thing since he first stepped onto the Northwestern University campus as a freshman in 2017.

“It feels amazing,” Slater said, speaking of his new deal and not his sore foot. “Honestly, just super thankful for the organization believing in me, drafting me five years ago now, and now getting a chance to do an extension, it means a lot for me and my family. But it doesn’t change anything. I’m going to wake up and give it my all every day. I’m just super thankful to be here.”

Slater’s family joined him Sunday as he signed his new contract, which is worth a guaranteed $92 million and gives him the highest annual average salary of any offensive lineman at $28.5 million, topping the $27.5 million of the contract of Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers.

“It meant everything to me, everything,” Slater said of being surrounded by his family on Sunday. “They were with me at the draft (when the Chargers selected him in the first round in 2021). “My parents have always been there to pick me up when I’m down, always encouraging me. Same with my sister and my brother, so without them, I wouldn’t be here. So, it meant everything to me for them to be here with me.”

HAMPTON COMES ALIVE

A superficial eye injury that has sidelined veteran running back Najee Harris to start training camp and could keep him out for some time to come, has given rookie Omarion Hampton a chance to show what might be capable of doing as a featured back in the seasons to come.

It remained to be determined whether Hampton would make his Chargers preseason debut Thursday against the Lions. It’s been clear that he has taken over the top spot in the absence of Harris, who was hurt in a July 4 fireworks accident while in his hometown of Antioch.

Hampton said quarterback Justin Herbert and fellow rookie Tre’ Harris (no relation to Najee Harris) have offered plenty of advice and encouragement during camp. Harris, a wide receiver, was picked one round behind Hampton, a first-round selection back in April (22nd overall).

“I’m excited to play,” Hampton said of his pending debut, whether it’s Thursday or in one of the team’s three other exhibition games. “I like being in the locker room with the guys and running down the tunnel, just knowing they’ve got my back and I’ve got their backs. I mean, just that bond.”

EXTRA POINTS

Tre’ Harris’ diving catch in the end zone off a pass from Herbert was one of the offensive highlights of Monday’s practice. … Wide receiver JaQuae Jackson was another standout in team drills, making several catches. … Cornerback Nikko Reed made a diving deflection of a pass and safety Kendall Williamson intercepted a tipped pass to highlight the defense on Day 10.

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