The Los Angeles Chargers’ start to the season is far from ideal.
It’s not how you start, but how you finish that matters. But starting on the right note would be much preferred for the Los Angeles Chargers. But that isn’t the case as on Day 1 of training camp, wide receiver Mike Williams, who returned to the Chargers on a one-year, $3 million deal with a $1.5 million signing bonus announced he is retiring from the NFL.
If that was the only issue, it wouldn’t be a challenge. Players retire and a nine-year veteran who finished with a combined 298 yards on 21 catches last season for the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers is acceptable. But there are other problems surfacing for the Chargers.
Rashawn Slater Remains on Fifth-Year Option
The longer it takes to sign a player, the higher the price tag gets. We’ve seen it ad-nauseum over the years. And Slater, 26, is up for a contract extension both sides want done but it hasn’t been finished. The last update on the deal was during minicamp, when Slater said he’s “not really super concerned about it.” And while these things take time, discussions reportedly began in February.
Najee Harris on Non-Football Injury List After Fireworks Accident
On July 4, Harris suffered a “superficial” eye injury (term from his agent) after a fireworks incident. While Harris wasn’t their big-ticket signing, he is expected to be an important addition to the offense as the Chargers seek improvement in their rushing offense.
Rookie WR Tre Harris Holding Out
The second-round pick issues have been across the NFL, with 30 of 32 second-round selections unsigned as the time of this publishing. Expectations are that more will occur over the next few days after 49ers’ Alfred Collins signed his deal on July 16. But camp has begun for the Chargers and Harris is not on the field. And with Williams’ retirement, the absence of Harris becomes significant.
It’s not about how you start, but how you finish that matters. General Manager Joe Hortiz will be busy this training camp doing everything to get Harris signed and on the field and all hope is that Slater could get his deal done before training camp ends. Harris hopefully returns quickly if the injury is indeed “superficial,” but in the mean time the team does have first-round rookie Omarion Hampton.
All this could blow over in a hurry. After all, it’s Day 1 of camp. There’s a lot of time between now and Sept. 5 when the Chargers play host to the Kansas City Chiefs.