A trio of Chargers have been named to the 2025 Pro Bowl Games.
The NFL announced Thursday morning that outside linebacker Khalil Mack, safety Derwin James, Jr. and tackle Rashawn Slater have been to the annual All-Star festivities.
The trio, all of whom are season-long captains, have each been a crucial piece on and off the field to the Chargers success in 2024.
Here's a closer look at how Mack, James and Slater made the Pro Bowl.
Khalil Mack
How about a ninth Pro Bowl selection in 11 years?
Mack was named a starter for the third straight season as he continues to play at a high level after more than a decade in the NFL.
The 33-year-old has 6.0 sacks this season — the 10th consecutive year he's hit that mark — to go along with nine passes defensed (one shy of career-high), two forced fumbles and 15 quarterback hits. He also leads the Bolts with 51 quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats.
Mack continues to excel in all facets on the field and remains one of the best edge rushers in the league.
He ranks fourth in the NFL among edge rushers with at least 400 snaps in PFF's defense grade with a 90.5 and third in run defense grade with an 88.1.
"To me, he's like one of the most evolved humans I've been around in every way," Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh said about Mack in mid-October. "Like Leonardo da Vinci. A great athlete, but a brilliant person, too.
"Can't say enough good things about him… he's special in the best kind of ways," Harbaugh added. "Love being around him every day."
Even in Year 11, Mack isn't close to slowing down.
Derwin James, Jr.
Talk about a bounce back season for James.
The star safety, who is one of the unquestioned leaders of the Bolts, is on his way to his fourth Pro Bowl and his first since 2022.
James is second on the Bolts with 90 total tackles and nine tackles for loss and has also notched an interception and set a career-high with 5.5 sacks.
James has been at the forefront of it all for a Chargers defense that has been one of the best units in the league.
He ranks seventh among all safeties with at least 500 snaps in PFF's defense (79.3), run defense (86.6) and tackling grades (84.1) to go along with the No. 10 grade in coverage (74.1).
"Just consistently a great player in any situation you put him in, any position you put him," Harbaugh said about James. "His flexibility, he is off the charts. And then he grades out right around that A, A+ category every single game.
Harbaugh later added in early December: "He's like Willie Mays. A five-tool plus player that can do it all."
After a 2023 season that James said was not up to his standards, he's responded in a big way and has reclaimed his spot as one of the top safeties in the league.
Rashawn Slater
The Chargers left tackle has notched his second Pro Bowl selection, and the first since his rookie season in 2021, after arguably the best season of his career thus far.
Slater has played in all but one game this season and continues to make his case as one of the best tackles in the game.
And the numbers back it up.
The former Second-Team All-Pro has allowed just 22 total pressures this season according to Pro Football Focus, which is on the cusp of being a career-low in a season.
And among the rest of the league's tackles with at least 500 snaps this year, Slater ranks third in PFF's offensive grade (91.1) and pass blocking (90.4), both of which would be career-highs for the fourth-year player.
He's also been stellar in the run game as well, posting the fifth-highest grade among tackles with an 82.8, which is a career-best for Slater in a season where he played at least 10 games.
Slater has done most of it on an island, too, as he's received no help with opposing edge rushers roughly 65 percent of the time this year, according to recent data compiled by PFF.
"I definitely enjoy the challenge," Slater said in early December. "That's kind of how you get your reputation as a tackle with those 1-on-1 matchups. I definitely don't shy away from them."
Slater added: "I don't take that lightly at all. With the way [Justin Herbert] approaches the game and the person he is, I want to give absolutely everything I have to make him feel as comfortable as possible."
The Chargers left tackle has been nothing short of elite this season, and now he's been recognized with a Pro Bowl accolade.
