NFL players just put even more pressure on the Chargers to lock up one of the league’s rising stars
Los Angeles has a rising star on their hands, and fans across the NFL just got put on notice
The Los Angeles Chargers enter 2026 with a lot of promise, but with their own fair share of question marks.
Is new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel the answer to unlocking the second and third gears that the Bolts need to reach to finally advance in the playoffs? How will Chris O’Leary’s new defense fit with the pieces already in place? Will LA’s offensive line, with both tackles recovering from injuries joining some new faces in the middle, be able to hit the ground running? And how will they be able to handle McDaniel’s heavy outside zone scheme with all the movement?
But a question that pervades beyond 2026 is the contract situation of rising star edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu. The Chargers’ 2023 third-round draft pick is coming off a career season, and as he enters the fourth and final year of his rookie contract, he is eligible for a well-deserved contract extension.
It hasn’t happened thus far in the offseason. However, players around the NFL have spoken, and they might have just turned up the heat on the Chargers’ front office to get a deal done sooner than later.
Tulipulotu checked in as the No. 86 player in the NFL Top 100 list on Wednesday morning.
Chargers EDGE Tuli Tuipulotu ranks No. 86 on NFL Top 100 list
The list is notable, as it’s an annual list voted on by the players. As such, it’s directly telling of a player’s esteem among his peers around the league.
Tuipulotu has earned that place over the last couple of seasons. After 4.5 sacks as a rookie in 2023, he upped that total to a respectable 8.5 in 2024. But 2025 was a true breakout for him, as he went off for 13.0 sacks and earned Pro Bowl honors in the process. He ranked sixth in the NFL in sacks and was tied for fourth in tackles for loss with 20.0 (along with Houston’s Will Anderson).
Tuipulotu’s arrow is pointing up, and it looks like he’s going to end up as one of the young premier edge rushers in the NFL for the near future. Whether he’s going to do that in Los Angeles remains to be seen.