The Chargers' Contract Impasse With Joey Bosa Just Got Uglier

The San Diego Chargers and third overall draft pick Joey Bosa still haven’t agreed to a contract. The team has its first game in 18 days, and it claims it’s ready to play it without the rookie defensive end.

The team said today that Bosa’s holdout has gone on to the point where even if he signed today, he would not play all 16 games due to a lack of “adequate time on the practice field, in the classroom, and in preseason games.”

This could be a last-ditch scare tactic to make Bosa’s side budge, but Bosa has the ability to refuse to sign for the entire season and become eligible for next year’s draft. As mentioned before, Bosa and the Chargers’ dispute seems to be over offset language, which would affect the amount of money the Chargers would owe Bosa if they cut him in his fourth season and he signed with a new team. Chris Brown of Smart Football gave a tidy example of how it affects Bosa:

An alternate theory is that maybe Bosa simply hates San Diego and everything about it. His mom already suggested pulling an “Eli Manning” earlier this month.