Before they left San Diego, the Chargers spent the summer of 2016 embroiled in a contentious contract standoff with first-round draft pick Joey Bosa.
The Bolts have now ensured that their first summer in Los Angeles since their 1960 AFL debut campaign will not be marred by a similar showdown with franchise playerMelvin Ingram.
The Chargers signed Ingram to a four-year contract Monday. The new deal is worth $66 million with $42 million in guarantees, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via a source informed of the situation.
Ingram ultimately succeeded in his goal to match the $16.5 million annual figure on the five-year, $82.5 million contract signed in March by Cardinals franchise player and edge rusher Chandler Jones, Rapoport added.
Ingram and the Chargers beat by more than a month the July 15 deadline to negotiate a multiyear contract. Had no agreement been reached, Ingram would have played under the linebacker tender worth roughly $14 million for 2017, leaving his Los Angeles future in doubt.
Rapoport had reported late last month that Ingram would consider skipping minicamp and perhaps part of training camp absent a long-term deal.
After transforming his body in response to injury-plagued 2013 and 2014 seasons, Ingram has been a model of durability and productivity the past two years, starting all 32 games and registering 18.5 sacks to go with solid run defense. He joined 2016 Defensive Player of the YearKhalil Mack as the only players with at least 50 tackles and eight sacks in each of the last two seasons, per NFL Research.
In Ingram and Bosa, the Bolts now hold the rights to an especially disruptive pass rushing tandem through the 2020 season. Ingram is expected to switch positions in new coordinator Gus Bradley's 4-3 scheme, taking on the "Leo" pass rushing role made famous under Pete Carroll in Seattle.
Don't sleep on the more promising of the two Los Angeles clubs. Bradley's defense is chock full of talent, starting with the imposing Ingram-Bosa duo and extending to a secondary that includes cornerbacks Jason Verrett and Casey Hayward, Pro Bowl selections in 2015 and 2016, respectively.