Getty
EDGE rusher Tuli Tuipulotu
The Los Angeles Chargers coaching staff will look different as the team enters the third season of the Jim Harbaugh era.
Chris O’Leary will replace Jesse Minter as defensive coordinator after Minter took the head coaching job with the Baltimore Ravens.
The new DC has some experience in the Bolts defense as the safeties coach in the 2024 season. Now back in Los Angeles, O’Leary will need all the help he can get in his first tenure as the defensive coordinator in the NFL.
One NFL analyst encourages the Chargers to re-sign a Pro Bowler before the start of the 2026 season.
Chargers Urged to Retain Key Defender
GettyThe Chargers can’t afford to lose a defensive lineman
Pass rusher Odafe Oweh was a key contributor to the Los Angeles Chargers defense last season, logging 7.5 sacks in 10 games played, including 3 sacks in the team’s AFC wildcard round against the New England Patriots.
Oweh was one of the hottest free agents in the market this offseason, with the Bolts having the cap space to retain him, but letting him walk and sign with the Washington Commanders on a four-year, $100 million deal instead.
Needing pass rushers for the future for Chris O’Leary’s defense, ESPN’s Aaron Schatz encourages the Chargers to extend Tuli Tuipulotu ahead of the 2026 season.
“Tuipulotu, who turns 24 on Sept. 3, led the Chargers with 13 sacks in 2025 but is entering the final year of his rookie contract,” Schatz wrote. “He entered the league very young, so there’s still growth potential for a player who is already producing at a high level.”
“Yes, the Chargers just drafted Akheem Mesidor, and they have veterans… but they want to extend Tuipulotu so he can team with Derwin James Jr. as the talents the Los Angeles defense is built around.”
Since being drafted by LA in 2023, Tuli has been improving by the season. The former USC Trojan logged 4.5 sacks his rookie season, then 8.5 his second. Now, as noted by Schatz, Tuli took down opposing quarterbacks 13 times last season (the 6th-most in the league), earning his first Pro Bowl nod.
Pro Football Focus gave the EDGE rusher a 74.4 pass rush grade for his performance in the 2025 season.
Spotrac currently projects Tuli Tuipulotu to receive a four-year, $74 million deal in the upcoming offseason, with the Bolts set to have more than enough to satisfy the $18.5 million AAV.
Tuli Tuipulotu on Contract Negotiations
GettyLos Angeles Chargers EDGE rusher Tuli Tuipulotu.
As Tuli Tuipulotu enters his fourth season as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers, the pass rusher prefers to focus on football.
“I just let my agent, let the guys handle that,” Tuipulotu said about contract talks with LA, via the Chargers. “I’m just trying to be here with the team and be close with the guys.”
“I for sure have been trying to experiment with the offseason, what works best for me… It’s taken me some time to figure out what works. I’m still in that learning mode for the offseason.”
The EDGE rusher will enter the 2026 season as one of the team’s most important defenders, giving him leverage in contract talks.
Jason Garcia Jason Garcia is a sports contributor for Heavy Sports who joined the team in 2025, covering the New England Patriots, Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. More about Jason Garcia