Inside The Huskies

In Injury Recovery, Molden Earns Rich Contract Extension

The former Husky gets a three-year, $18.2 million deal from the Los Angeles Chargers.

Dan Raley

Former Husky Elijah Molden (22) celebrates with Chargers teammates after recovering a fumble againstTampa Bay.
Former Husky Elijah Molden (22) celebrates with Chargers teammates after recovering a fumble againstTampa Bay. / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Elijah Molden's recovery from a season-ending broken leg this past NFL season apparently is going very well, with the former University of Washington defensive back ready to sign a three-year, $18.2 million contract extension with the Los Angeles Chargers,.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports was among the first to report this development.

Molden, who played for the Huskies in 2017-20 and is originally from West Linn, Oregon, was traded to the Chargers by the Tennessee Titans during training camp -- and the change of scenery to the West Coast led to him having a career year.

He started 12 games this past season and finished with 3 interceptions, 2 fumble recoveries, 7 pass deflections and 75 tackles before things took a painful turn for him.

In Week 17, Molden, 26, broke his fibula bone in a game against the New England Patriots and he finished up on injured reserve. Ensuing reports indicated he would need just two months to make a full recovery.

A third-round pick and the 100th player selected in the 2020 NFL draft, he spent three seasons with the Titans and started 16 of 33 games at safety before transitioning to cornerback in L.A.

Molden is the son of Alex Molden, a University of Oregon grad who spent eight seasons in the NFL, playing cornerback for the New Orleans Saints, the Detroit Lions and for the Chargers when they were based in San Diego.

At the UW, the younger Molden was a two-time, first-team All-Pac-12 selection and the defensive most valuable player in the 2019 Las Vegas Bowl against Boise State.

For the latest UW football and basketball news, go to si.com/college/washington

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Dan Raley
DAN RALEY

Dan Raley has worked for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, as well as for MSN.com and Boeing, the latter as a global aerospace writer. His sportswriting career spans four decades and he's covered University of Washington football and basketball during much of that time. In a working capacity, he's been to the Super Bowl, the NBA Finals, the MLB playoffs, the Masters, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and countless Final Fours and bowl games.

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