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Casey Hayward inks three-year extension with Chargers

By John Buhler

CARSON, CA - OCTOBER 22: Casey Hayward No. 26 of the Los Angeles Chargers during the game against the Denver Broncos at the StubHub Center on October 22, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
CARSON, CA - OCTOBER 22: Casey Hayward No. 26 of the Los Angeles Chargers during the game against the Denver Broncos at the StubHub Center on October 22, 2017 in Carson, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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The Los Angeles Chargers wisely lock up star cornerback Casey Hayward on a three-year extension, worth $36 million. $20 million of that will be guaranteed.

The Battle of Los Angeles is on in the NFL. While the Los Angeles Rams have traded for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib, their new AFC rival in the Los Angeles Chargers have opted to keep one of their stars in-house for a long time this offseason.

According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, “the Chargers are signing standout [cornerback] Casey Hayward to a 3-year-extension.” The deal is reportedly worth $36 million and $20 million of that will be fully guaranteed. It’s quite the pay day for Hayward, but he has proven to be worth it since coming over to the Chargers from in 2016.

https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/972960061810266113

Hayward had signed a three-year deal worth $15.3 million with the Chargers in 2016 NFL free agency. While he had been a solid starter in his first four years with the Green Bay Packers coming out of Vanderbilt, it has been with the Chargers where Hayward has become a defensive back star.

Hayward has made Pro Bowls in his first two seasons with the Chargers in 2016 and 2017. In 32 games for the Chargers, Hayward has 83 tackles, 42 pass breakups and 11 interceptions. For a franchise that has been ravaged by injury in recent years, Hayward has been a model of consistency the Chargers can been around in the secondary going forward.

He will be 29 years old for the 2018 NFL season. This extension should kick in after next season, as Hayward is in the last year of his first contract he signed with the Chargers. It looks like Hayward will be a free agent after the 2021 NFL season. By that time, he’ll be 32 years old.

This was a great move made by the Chargers to get this done early. They will have defensive stars like Hayward, defensive end Melvin Ingram and defensive end Joey Bosa locked up for the next few years. With franchise quarterback Philip Rivers clearly on the back-nine, it’s win-now mode for the Chargers.

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Given that the Chargers have the most proven quarterback and the deepest defense in the AFC West, one could argue that Los Angeles might be the favorites to win the division. Of course, the rival Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders will have something to say about that. Either way, this is a great deal for Hayward and the Chargers.

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