Chargers left tackle Rashawn Slater was visibly upset while being carted off the field at practice on Thursday and the injury that knocked him out is as bad as Slater seemed to think it was at the time.
Shortly after multiple reports emerged that Slater tore his patellar tendon and would have further testing, the Chargers confirmed that Slater tore the tendon.
The team announced that Slater will have surgery and miss the entire 2025 season.
Slater recently signed a four-year, $113 million contract extension with the Chargers, which underscores how important he is to their offensive plans this year. Trey Pipkins III is the swing tackle and will likely now step into the starting lineup for the Chargers, although they could put him at right tackle and move 2024 first-rounder Joe Alt to the left side. Alt played left tackle at Notre Dame before switching sides for his rookie season.
