Chargers safety Derwin James has reason to celebrate this week, but it’s not the kind of celebration that he’s most interested in experiencing at this point in his career.
James signed a three-year extension this week that makes him the highest-paid safety in the league. That contract reflects James’s many individual accomplishments since joining the Chargers as a 2018 first-round pick, but his versatile contributions to the team’s defense have not resulted in great team success.
The Chargers have made the playoffs four times since James entered the league and they’ve won one playoff game. During a Wednesday press conference, James pivoted from discussing his new deal to discussing his desire to change that record.
“Honestly, I want to win, win the Super Bowl so bad, man, so coming out here and just working, working, working hard as I can every day, and I feel like that’s what I’m so focused on,” James said, via Dan Greenspan of the Associated Press. “The money’s good, yeah, it’s good, but I can’t get my thoughts off being the last team playing.”
The Chargers obviously think James can help them achieve their own goal of winning a championship and they’ll now have at least three years beyond 2026 to try to make it happen.
