Just a few days ago the San Diego Chargers went public with their contract offer to No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa, detailing, in their eyes, why he was being greedy. That’s not really the way you want to start a relationship with a player that could be the cornerstone of your franchise for the next decade, but the Chargers have always played by their own rules. Dumb, dumb rules.
Statement from the San Diego Chargers on defensive end Joey Bosa. pic.twitter.com/BayBGeN22x
— Los Angeles Chargers (@Chargers) August 24, 2016
Back in 2004 Eli Manning, coming into the draft, let the San Diego Chargers know in no uncertain terms that they should not draft him. Eli wouldn’t sign with the Chargers and had no desire to join their organization. His dad, Archie, when asked why Eli didn’t want to play in San Diego pointed to the organization itself. The Chargers themselves were the problems They were losers and handled their team like losers.
Archie should know what a loser looks like. He spent the majority of his pro career with the New Orleans Saints from 1971-1982. The Chargers drafted Eli anyway and then traded him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers. Their contract talks with Rivers broke down to public fights and ultimatums too. This is how the Chargers do business.
The sticking point for Bosa and the Chargers is money, but not the overall money. That’s pretty much set by draft order these days since the last collective bargaining agreement. A third-round pick in 2016 was going to make a certain amount in his overall contract no matter what. What was up for negotiation was the way that money was paid out. There’s the standard way NFL teams set up contracts, then there’s the Chargers’ way.
We are happy to step in and #sklarbitrate this thing if you need us to @jbbigbear @Chargers @NFLNow @NFL pic.twitter.com/OpF0b3Xb7n
— The Sklar Brothers (@SklarBrothers) August 25, 2016
Bosa’s demand is simple, and it’s one every other NFL team offers its rookies except the chargers. His demand then isn’t so much a “demand,” then, but a desire to be treated like a normal No. 3 overall pick. The Chargers want offset language, where they could recoup some of Bosa’s guaranteed money if they cut him and he signs with another team. They also want to split up his signing bonus, paying him 85 percent at signing and then the rest when the 2017 league year begins in June.
Bosa and his agent have made it clear that they would agree to either sticking point, the split signing bonus or the offset language, but not both. No other No. 3 pick in NFL history has agreed to both. The thing is the Chargers probably could have gotten both if they’d moved their numbers. Carson Wentz, the No. 2 pick, did agree to both the offset language and to defer some of his signing bonus. In his case, the deferment is just $1 million and it’s just because he can save money on taxes. He still got $16 million on the day he signed. The Chargers are asking Bosa to push about $4 million away, plus take the offset language.
Now the Chargers have reportedly even pulled that deal. By sticking to their guns, regardless of how the actual finances of the league and the draft works, San Diego has flushed Bosa’s rookie season down the toilet and he should respond in kind, but sitting out all season and re-entering the NFL draft in 2017.
“At this point, all we can do is continue to fight for a fair contract on behalf of our client, as we do for all our clients” Bosa’s people told ESPN. “The Chargers can focus on trying to sway public opinion.”
Here is a statement from the agents of Joey Bosa regarding today's events https://t.co/ZdTwNKbFkT
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 25, 2016
Obviously Bosa may not be drafted No. 3 overall then, but there’s no reason to expect he’ll fall too far. Players sit out a year of college football all the time because of suspensions and eligibility issues and it rarely has much impact on their draft status. If Bosa stays in shape, he should still be a Top 10 pick and this time will end up with a franchise he can stand to play for.
And if I’m an agent or a high-profile rookie coming into the league next year, I do exactly as Joey Bosa’s mother said she wished her son had done before the draft. I’d pull an “Eli Manning.”
Because with Mike McCoy at head coach and the current regime running the Chargers, they’ll be picking high again.
