Age: 30
Free Agency: 2030 (UFA)
Accrued Seasons: 8
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 215
- College: Florida State
- Entry: 2018 Draft, Round 1, #17 overall (Chargers)
- 2026 Salary Cap Charge: $24,606,495 (8.07% of cap)
- 2026 Cash Payout: $26,500,000 (9.37% of spending)
- 2026 Cash to Cap Ratio: 1.08
- Contract Value: $75,600,000 ($25,200,000 APY)
- Fully Guaranteed Money: $41,000,000
- Contract Ranking: 1/234 at S
Current Contract
(Extension, signed 2026)
(📝: indicates contract trigger occuring during that year)| Year | Age | Base Salary | Prorated Signing Bonus | Roster Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Dead Money & Cap Savings | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 30 | $11,500,000 | $10,106,495 | $3,000,000 | $14,500,000 | $24,606,495 | 8.1% | |||||
| 2027 | 31 | $17,500,000 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $17,500,000 | $20,500,000 | 6.3% | |||||
| 2028 | 32 | $24,600,000 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $27,600,000 | 7.8% | |||||
| 2029
March 13: Roster bonus due
| 33 | $21,500,000 | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $27,500,000 | -- | |||||
| Total | $75,100,000 | $19,106,495 | $6,000,000 | $32,000,000 | $100,206,495 | |||||||
Contract Notes
Derwin James signed a three year, $75.6 million contract extension with the Chargers on May 28, 2026 making him the highest paid safety in football. $54.5 million is guaranteed of which $40 million is a new money guarantee. $41 million is now fully guaranteed at signing. The full guarantee consists of a $12 million signing bonus and James\' base salaries in 2026 and 2027. There is a $3 million roster bonus in 2029 earned on the 3rd day of the league year. James' 2026 salary cap number remains unchanged with the extension.
Updated May 30, 2026
Cash Flows
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash Due | $9,000,000 | $17,500,000 | $24,600,000 | $24,500,000 |
| Running Cash | $9,000,000 | $26,500,000 | $51,100,000 | $75,600,000 |
Career Earnings: $91,765,090
Career APY: $11,470,636
Contract History
| Team | Contract Type | Status | Year Signed | Yrs | Total | APY | Guarantees | Amount Earned | % Earned | Effective APY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | Drafted | Extended | 2018 | 4 | $12,388,952 | $3,097,238 | $12,388,952 | $12,388,952 | 100.0% | $3,097,238 |
| Chargers | Extension | Extended | 2022 | 4 | $76,000,000 | $19,000,000 | $38,584,471 | $67,376,138 | 88.7% | $16,844,035 |
| Chargers | Extension | Active | 2026 | 3 | $75,600,000 | $25,200,000 | $41,000,000 | $12,000,000 | 15.9% | $0 |
Earnings By Team
| Team | Yrs | Salary | APY | Paid on Cap | % Paid on Cap | Paid as Dead Money | % Paid as Dead Money |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chargers | 8 | $91,765,090 | $11,470,636 | $72,658,595 | 0.0% | $0 | 0.0% |
Season History
| Year | Team | Base Salary | Prorated Bonus | Option Bonus | Roster Bonus | Guaranteed Salary | Cap Number | Cap % | Cash Paid | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Chargers | $480,000 | $1,772,537 | $0 | $0 | $480,000 | $2,252,537 | 1.3% | $7,570,148 | ||
| 2019 | Chargers | $1,043,134 | $1,772,537 | $0 | $0 | $1,043,134 | $2,815,671 | 1.5% | $1,043,134 | ||
| 2020 | Chargers | $1,606,268 | $1,772,537 | $0 | $0 | $1,606,268 | $3,378,805 | 1.7% | $1,606,268 | ||
| 2021 | Chargers | $2,169,402 | $1,772,537 | $0 | $0 | $2,169,402 | $3,941,939 | 2.1% | $2,169,402 | ||
| 2022 | Chargers | $4,052,000 | $4,106,494 | $0 | $0 | $4,052,000 | $8,158,494 | 3.8% | $24,584,471 | ||
| 2023 | Chargers | $2,000,000 | $4,106,494 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $2,000,000 | $9,106,494 | 4.0% | $14,000,000 | ||
| 2024 | Chargers | $12,750,000 | $4,106,494 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $3,415,529 | $19,148,161 | 7.3% | $12,041,667 | ||
| 2025 | Chargers | $13,750,000 | $4,106,494 | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $23,856,494 | 8.4% | $16,750,000 | ||
| 2026 | Chargers | $11,500,000 | $10,106,495 | $0 | $3,000,000 | $14,500,000 | $24,606,495 | 8.1% | $26,500,000 | ||
| 2027 | Chargers | $17,500,000 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $17,500,000 | $20,500,000 | 6.3% | $17,500,000 | ||
| 2028 | Chargers | $24,600,000 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $27,600,000 | 7.8% | $24,600,000 | ||
| 2029 | Chargers | $21,500,000 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $3,000,000 | $0 | $27,500,000 | -- | $24,500,000 | ||
| Total | $112,950,804 | $42,622,619 | $9,000,000 | $9,000,000 | $49,766,333 | $172,865,090 | $172,865,090 | ||||
Statistics
| Year | Games Played | Games Inactive | Snaps | Tackles | Negative Plays | Interceptions | Fumbles | TD | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defense | Special | Solo | Assist | Sacks | Yards | TFL | QB Hits | Pass Def. | INT | Yards | Forced | Rec. | Yards | ||||
| 2018 | 16 | 0 | 99.1% | 8.5% | 75 | 30 | 3.5 | 17 | 4 | 6 | 13 | 3 | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2019 | 5 | 11 | 30.4% | 0.5% | 23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 15 | 1 | 82.7% | 0.7% | 75 | 43 | 2 | 12.5 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 3 | 79.8% | 1.5% | 64 | 51 | 4 | 33 | 5 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 16 | 1 | 87.0% | 2.0% | 86 | 39 | 2 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 16 | 0 | 90.0% | 3.7% | 60 | 33 | 5.5 | 35 | 10 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 16 | 1 | 87.9% | 2.5% | 50 | 44 | 2 | 13.5 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Valuation Diamond
The diamond is a scatterplot graph that visualizes the relation of the player's APY (in green) and performance (in blue, as measured by OTC's Valuations) to the rest of the league at his position. To understand how to read the diamond, read this explainer.
| OTC Valuation | APY | |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | $10,581,000 | $25,200,000 |
| Injury Adjusted | $10,581,000 | $25,200,000 |
Weekly Valuation Trends
The chart below illustrates the trend of the player's weekly OTC Valuations (in blue) from the most recent season, using APY (in green) and, if applicable, cash that is due to the player in the next season (in red) as benchmarks. Weeks not plotted indicate that the player was inactive or on a bye.
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