Safety Derwin James has been with the Chargers since entering the NFL in 2018 and the team would like to see him continue to wear their uniform through the end of his playing days.
James is moving into the final year of his current contract and General Manager Joe Hortiz said last month that he anticipated an acceleration of talks about a new deal after the draft. It’s almost June now and Hortiz said on Up & Adams that getting something done remains at the top of his list of priorities.
“It’s high, it’s high,” Hortiz said. “I’ve told the story, in Baltimore we had Derwin up there as the number one player on our board in that draft, you know, the No. 1 player available when we were picking. And we took a trade back and he got picked. I said to him when I first met him, I’m like, ‘Gosh, you should’ve been a Raven. We traded away from you, but I’m glad you’re not because I’m here now.’ He’s such a special, special leader and person. Like Justin [Herbert], the talent is real and it’s there, but the leader and motivator and energy he gives to everybody within the organization, throughout the entire building, it’s so unique. One of the best I’ve ever been around in terms of leadership, talent and character.”
James has been both productive and durable over recent seasons and he’ll get a chance to continue to do both for the Chargers as long as all goes well at the negotiating table.
Read the full article here
