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Chargers DL Teair Tart says it feels good to be wanted

April 27, 2026

EL SEGUNDO — New contract, same Teair Tart.

The Chargers signed Tart to a three-year contract extension potentially worth up to $37.5 million on Jan. 26, mere weeks after their season ended with an AFC wild-card loss to the New England Patriots and nearly two months before the NFL’s free-agent signing period opened.

There was no sense in exploring other options, said Tart, a defensive lineman who has found a home with the Chargers after stops with the Tennessee Titans and the Houston Texans. After six years in the league, it felt good to be wanted. There was nowhere else he wanted to be.

“I love being here,” Tart said after the second week of offseason workouts began Monday. “The staff knows that. Everybody here knows that. I’m extremely appreciative. I feel like over the years, it’s been a long journey. I’ve been busting my (butt) day in and day out. I was trying to prove my worth to the staff, to my teammates.”

Signing so early in the process, so quickly after the 2025 season ended, had extra special meaning, as far as Tart was concerned.

“They wanted to get it done,” Tart said of the Chargers. “They felt like I was a really important piece here. Like I said last year, it feels good to be wanted where you’re at, you know what I’m saying? I’ve been busting (butt) since my rookie year. I just think you’ve got to be around the right people.

“You can’t make people see things they don’t want to see. People have their thoughts of you. They have their minds set. You can’t change what people think. You can only go out there and control what you can control.”

Clearly, the Chargers saw something in Tart that the Titans and Texans didn’t. After all, he didn’t have the same role with those other teams that he has carved out over the past two seasons with the Chargers. He hasn’t missed a game in two seasons with the Chargers, but he only became a starter in 2025.

Last season, he emerged as a key figure in the Chargers’ stingy defense, which was ninth in the NFL in points allowed (20 per game), fifth in net yards allowed (285.2 yards per game), eighth in net rushing yards allowed (105.4 per game) and fifth in net passing yards allowed (179.9 per game).

Tart had 32 tackles last season, including four for losses, with one forced fumble, stripping the football from Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt and gaining possession in the fourth quarter of the Chargers’ 27-10 loss in Week 5 at SoFi Stadium.

Tart promised a fat, new contract wouldn’t change him in the least.

“It’s the same me,” he said. “I’ve always got something to prove. I play with a chip on my shoulder. I’ve always got something to prove. I always want to find ways to get better in every season. I’ve got a new contract, but it doesn’t change the goals. It doesn’t change the mission I’ve got for myself and this team, so no.”

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS

The Chargers agreed to terms with 18 undrafted players after the NFL draft ended Saturday. The list:

Utah State safety Noah Avinger, Utah linebacker Lander Barton, Kansas State tight end Jerand Bradley, Colorado wide receiver Sincere Brown, Virginia defensive lineman Jahmeer Carter, Memphis running back Gregory Desrosiers, Syracuse safety Devin Grant, LSU defensive lineman Jacobian Guillory, San Diego State outside linebacker Niles King, Penn State wide receiver Devonte Ross, Georgia Tech cornerback Rodney Shelley, Toledo cornerback Avery Smith, Fresno State center Jacob Spomer, Wyoming tight end Evan Svoboda, Western Michigan outside linebacker Nadame Tucker, SMU defensive lineman Terry Webb, Florida State cornerback Jeremiah Wilson, Oregon tackle Isaiah Wood.

Orange County Register

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Chargers DL Teair Tart says it feels good to be wanted

UNDRAFTED FREE AGENTS

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