Los Angeles Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater has had a whirlwind of a summer. First, he got divorced from his wife Stassney Brown. Then, he signed an historic contract extension to stay with the Chargers, a deal worth $114 million over four years, with $92 million guaranteed. It’s the highest average annual pay for a lineman in NFL history. The contract also included a $29 million signing bonus.
Some fans and reporters noted the timing of the deal was intriguing. Had Slater signed it before the divorce was finalized, he could have possibly owed his ex-wife some of his earnings. It certainly got people buzzing, and Brown even shot back at NFL reporter and aggregator Dov Kleiman, saying, “His contract is not about me” and calling it “deplorable” that Kleiman highlighted the deal’s “good timing.”
The more likely scenario is that Slater’s deal got finalized during the same time period the Chargers typically extend their players, in July and August. The divorce just so happened to be shortly before that timeframe.
But now, there’s a new major concern for the summer: Slater suffered a torn patella tendon during practice and is out for the year after undergoing season-ending surgery.
Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images
Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh deemed the injury as a “gut punch,” though it also brought to light another wrinkle of the contract. The team bought an insurance policy against a career-ending injury. If Slater returns to the field, the policy won’t come into play, but if he has to hang up his cleats for good, the team will get cap relief starting in the 2027 season.
In addition to the $29 million signing bonus, Slater will receive a base salary of $2 million and a roster bonus of $7 million. That’s a collective $38 million despite not playing a single snap in the regular season.
Season-ending injuries are always difficult to deal with, especially when they happen before the regular season even begins. Slater will rest up and begin rehabbing eventually. In the meantime, maybe the knowledge of millions of dollars hitting his bank account might ease the sting of the injury a bit.
