The drawn-out contract stalemate between Joey Bosa and the San Diego Chargers doesn’t appear to have an end in sight.
As the only unsigned draft pick from this year’s class, the former Ohio State defensive end may in fact sit out his entire rookie season. It’s a situation the NFL had hoped to avoid by implementing a rookie wage scale during the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement.
However, that agreement failed to take into account this whole thing called off-set language. This specific contract structure would prevent Bosa from double-dipping should he be released of his contract prior to its conclusion.
Rookie contracts that don’t include off-set language allow players to collect their initial contract while signing another deal with a different team after being released.
According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune, things appear to be headed nowhere between the two sides.
Chargers proposed to Joey Bosa what they made clear is their best offer, source says. It was declined. Offer pulled. Two sides are nowhere.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 24, 2016
San Diego’s “best offer” to the rookie No. 3 overall pick did include off-set language. At that point, Bosa himself was reported to be “very angry” about the offer (more on that here).
It’s gotten so bad that Bosa’s mom has openly wondered if her son would have been better off pulling an Eli Manning and refusing to play in San Diego.
While some will find a way to blame the Ohio State product for this impasse, the Chargers are known for playing it cheap with draft picks. This has led to multiple holdouts in the past.
It could also lead to the team having to take the field throughout the entire 2016 season without its prized pass rusher.