August 17th, 2022 at 8:58am CST by Sam Robinson
After a lengthy hold-in effort, Derwin James is now the highest-paid safety in NFL history. The Chargers and James agreed on a four-year extension Wednesday morning, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
James and the Bolts agreed to terms on a deal worth $19.1MM per year, per Rapoport. The pact comes with a safety-record $42MM guaranteed and $29MM in Year 1. James follows the likes of D.K. Metcalf, Deebo Samuel and Diontae Johnson of staging hold-in measures and being rewarded. But the Bolts and their top safety have been negotiating for months. This also represents a considerable reward for a player who battled extensive injury troubles over the course of his rookie contract.
More to come.