Sportsnaut
Jim Harbaugh’s preparing for his third season as head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers. Amazingly, the Chargers’ first two seasons have featured a similar storyline. Both times, the Chargers finished the regular season with an 11-6 record, good enough to clinch the playoffs, but not enough to win the AFC West.
Despite being eliminated in the Wild Card Round by more than one possession for the second season in a row, the Chargers learned a lot about themselves in 2025. Some players even enjoyed career years. But now they may want to cash in.
One player who enjoyed a breakout season like few others was Chargers pass-rusher Tuli Tuipulotu. Performing in his third season, the 6-foot-3, 266-pound linebacker had a career-high 13 sacks and two forced fumbles across 16 starts. His effort was enough to earn Tuipulotu the first trip to the Pro Bowl in his young career.
Yet, now the 23-year-old heads into the final season of his rookie contract, and he’s looking for some long-term security from the team that drafted him. To this point, the Chargers haven’t been willing to meet his asking price.
Recently, Tuipulotu was asked whether he would be willing to hold out from the team’s practices as the two sides negotiate a new contract. According to The Athletic‘s Chargers insider Daniel Popper, Tuipulotu’s response was “Time will tell.”
If we’re reading the tea leaves here, his response suggests Tuipulotu is willing to take a hard stance on practicing until he secures a new contract with the team, if necessary. Of course, he’s hoping it won’t come to such nastiness.
The Chargers made Tuipulotu the 54th overall pick in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s improved his sack total each year after recording 4.5 as a rookie. That number increased to 8 in 2024. After getting past double digits for the first time in 2025, the sky may be the limit in 2026.
How will the Chargers proceed from here? General manager Joe Hortiz may want to get Tuipulotu signed to an extension before his value potentially rises again. Or, maybe they’d prefer to wait and see whether he can repeat his profound success from a season ago before committing to the young edge rusher in a big way.
Related: 10 NFL Teams Who Could Be a Blockbuster Trade Away From a Super Bowl Win
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