Derwin James has been one of the most consistent players on the Los Angeles Chargers since joining the league, and the Florida State product remains at the top of his game as he enters his age-30 season. Selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, the safety immediately won the starting job and made the Pro Bowl after recording three interceptions, 3.5 sacks, 105 tackles, and an 87.8 PFF grade, the fifth-best mark in the league. While he struggled with injury for a few years after that, he has seemingly put those issues behind him and has played in at least 14 games in each of the past five seasons.
Now a five-time Pro Bowler, Derwin James remains at the top of his game despite his advanced age. Starting and appearing in all 16 games last year, the former first-round pick finished the season with two sacks, 94 tackles, six tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, and a 78.7 PFF grade, the ninth-best mark out of 91 eligible players. All in all, the safety is a great player on the field and one of the team’s most important veteran leaders, and the Chargers hope he doesn’t reach free agency at the end of the season.
Chargers GM Joe Hortiz Addresses Potential Derwin James Extension
As of this posting, Derwin James is scheduled to hit free agency following the 2026 season. While anything can happen between now and the start of the offseason, Los Angeles Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz made it clear that he hopes to extend the star safety long before he comes close to reaching the market. During a recent appearance on the Up & Adams show, Hortiz spoke about the importance of extending the team’s defensive leader.
“It’s high [on the priority list]. It’s high,” Hortiz said. “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 number one player available when we were picking. And we took a trade back and he got picked. 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.”
As you can see from the quote above, Hortiz has been a fan of James’ for quite some time, and the safety’s on-field ability has only justified the General Manager’s original assessment. Derwin James has been one of the game’s best safeties since he walked on the field, and while he is on the older side, he remains an above-average starter.
Making the Money Work
Derwin James is currently entering the final season of a four-year, $76.5 million contract. As of this posting, the safety carries a $24.6 million cap hit, so an extension would probably lower that number. James probably won’t reset the safety market with his next deal, but he should still be paid like one of the game’s better defensive backs. The biggest question is the length of the commitment.
While Derwin James is still a good player, Father Time is undefeated. Some players are able to maintain a high level of performance late into their 30s, but it’s far from the norm. Seeing as he’ll officially be out of his 20s by Week 1, the Chargers probably won’t want to make a long-term commitment to their former first-round pick, no matter how good he still is. If the Chargers extend James, it will probably be on a three-year deal with minimal guaranteed money beyond the second season.
Main Photo: Kirby Lee – Imagn Images
