The Chargers issued a pointed statement regarding their contract stalemate with 2016 first-round selection Joey Bosa: 
Our contract discussions and offers to the representatives of Joey Bosa have been both fair and structurally consistent with the contracts of every other Chargers player. Our offer included:
- An initial signing bonus payment that is larger than any player in the League has received in the last two drafts.
- More money in this calendar year than every player in this year’s draft except one (QB Carson Wentz).
- The largest payment and the highest percentage of signing bonus received in the first calendar year of any Chargers’ first-round selection since the inception of the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (2011).
We gave Joey’s representatives our best offer last night, which was rejected today. The offer that we extended was for Joey to contribute during all 16 games and beyond. Joey’s ability to contribute for an entire rookie season has now been jeopardized by the valuable tie he has missed with his coaches and his teammates. Since Joey will not report at this time, his ability to produce not just early in the season, but throughout the entire season, has been negatively impacted.
As a result, we will restructure our offer since Joey will be unable to contribute for the full 16 game season without the adequate time on the practice field, in the classroom, and in preseason games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Whenever he does play he is going to be a huge disappointment. He has BUST written all over him. He is only going to get 1 NFL contact before he’s washed up.
He’s in it just for the money
Looks the Chargers have decided to *puts on sunglasses* blame it on the BosaNova
Let’s not even discuss him. He’s made his bed, let’s let him lay in it…the no attention will get his attention.
This guy really rubs me the wrong way. I know you have got to get paid but whatever happened to playing for the love of the game? Those y has the talent and opportunity in front of him to do something t that many dream of and never get the chance to make it happen. That’s just sad. I don’t know his story so therefore I can not completely bash him or hate on him but I really don’t like this situation. Go out there and play and earn a raise like everyone else does.
Playing for the love of the game goes right out the window when millions of dollars are involved
Train wreck
I always thought it was because he was afraid he was going to be a bust my son said he read a story that he didn’t want to play for the chargers. I know his mommy said what she said but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want to play there it could be he feels he should get what he wants because he had always gotten his way. I don’t know just looks to me like he is afraid of being a bust so he wants all his money guaranteed. Reminds me of that can’t miss guy the hawks took awhile back Curry who couldn’t tackle couldn’t read a D or cover a guy to save his life. Looked like a superstar in college and a high school player playing with NFL players on Sunday.
What’s Bosa’s excuse now? Is it still not about the money? Does he not understand he stands to lose millions of dollars if he remains unsigned and has to go through the draft process again next year? Even if he killed it in all the pre-draft workouts, teams would drop him down on their boards because of this fiasco. I thought he might have a chance to carve out a decent role in the NFL but now he has bust written all over him.
It has to do with the way the payments are structured and what is guaranteed. For example, there is language in the contract that if he gets hurt and can’t play, he has to pay back his signing bonus. He wants that language removed
Who wouldn’t want that language removed; however he is unlikely to be the only rookie to have such language in their contract
Doesn’t the language you are referring to relate to offset language if he is cut and signed by another team. Regardless the Chargers should have been able to work out something with another player they could have drafted #3 knowing the first two picks were going to be QB’s. If they were purposely trying to sabotage the new stadium vote they couldn’t have done a better job.
I think you’ve got something confused there. The signing bonus is fully guaranteed. The only way he’d have to pay some of it back is if he up and quit on the Chargers at some point before the contract was up and refused to report and play. I’m not talking about a hold out either, that would ultimately end up getting resolved by the new contract agreement, I’m talking Bosa just walks away.
I think you’re thinking of the offset language, that says if he plays for a different NFL team after getting cut, the money he receives is an offset of what the Chargers will pay him not to play for them. This isn’t a wild contract provision either, its done in EVERY major sports league in the US.
Let him sit. No play, no pay punk! Undrafted guard taking over for The Fluker, so Telescope will find someone who wants to play. They let Gates miss 3 games!
I’m still not convinced sd has been overly generous with him. they are still doing bs behind the scenes
I don’t understand why most everybody is so quick to jump on Bosa and let the Chargers off. It’s not like Bosa is making crazy demands in his contract. All he is asking for either his entire signing bonus up front or no off set language. The last 3 no. 3 overall picks before him got one of those two. He’s not asking to be babied or for special treatment he just wants to be traded like the previous no. 3 picks were treated.
All this mess is because He doesn’t want to play for the Chargers Period
He comes from money so it’s not about that he is just trying to get his way the Chargers agreed to change one of the stipulation but he wants both gone they are better off without him
Couldn’t you argue that hard line stances like this need to happen if NFL players are going to make any progress toward fully guaranteed contacts, like the ones they witnessed their NBA counterparts receive this off-season?
Arguably Joey Bosa is a trailblazer unafraid to stand up to the system and the owners, unlike those before him who eventually caved.
Bye bye Bosa, maybe you can play in Canada – if they think your worth the trouble! Seems like the pre-madonna’s dance for many 1st round draft picks is becoming a joke. Sounds like another Brian Bosworth. Not to worry Bosa – mommy and daddy will continue to support you!
bosa’s a bona
Living in the Midwest and seeing him play in a lot of games for Ohio State, he’s always struck me as very much a “me first” kind of player. The demands he’s making are completely irrational, if you’re a player looking to get into the league and you intend to try your best to produce for the team that employs you. He supposedly wants the bonus paid all up front. From a tax perspective that makes no sense, especially if he’s playing in a high tax state like California. It only makes sense if he’s thinking of quitting the league after a year and wants to walk away having already received the cash. At that point it makes it a lot harder for the Chargers to try to recoup it from him. His family has money, that doesn’t mean any of it is in his name. If mom and dad own everything of value right now, Joey blows through his signing bonus, then quits; the Chargers are stuck trying to collect from Joey, who won’t own a thing they can go after even though his family is wealthy. The insistence of no offset language is another thing of minimal importance, unless you intend to sandbag it, get cut, and try to double dip. All of this would make me VERY weary of Mr. Bosa, his intentions, and the level of effort you would get for the dollars a team would have invested.
I don’t think there’s any tax implications from spreading out his pay because it’s not gonna change his tax bracket. he’ll still be taxed at the highest rate regardless of if he gets paid now or in March