San Diego Chargers sign Joey Bosa to four-year deal
The San Diego Chargers have signed third-overall pick Joey Bosa to a four-year contract.
After a very long stalemate that seemingly went on forever, third overall pick Joey Bosa will be playing for the San Diego Chargers during the 2016 season. It remains to be seen which side caved in, but the Chargers have agreed to terms with Bosa on a four-year deal. This ends a long dispute over Bosa’s contract and bonus money.
The #Chargers and Joey Bosa reached a 4-year, $25.8M contract, source said. He gets a $17M signing bonus. It's all fully guaranteed.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 29, 2016
“We look forward to having Joey join us and getting him prepared as quickly as possible for the 2016 season,” said Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, via Chargers.com.
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Now the main priority for both sides is to get Bosa ready for the regular season. It will be a stretch to get him ready by Week One, but it is entirely plausible. Bosa might have to be play solely during pass rush situations, but Bosa is immensely talented and the Chargers realize that. He’s a dangerous threat whenever he’s on the field. The Chargers should and most likely will explore every avenue to get him on the field as soon as possible.
In three seasons with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Bosa had 150 tackles, 50.5 tackles for loss, and 26 sacks in 41 games. Bosa should help energize and improve a stagnant pass rush that cost the Chargers wins last season. In an AFC West that lacks top-tier quarterbacks, Bosa could quickly prove to be a difference maker.
It should be interesting to see the precise details of Bosa’s contract. The two sides conflicted over Bosa’s guaranteed money. Bosa wanted his signing bonus paid in full by December while the Chargers offered him his entire signing bonus by the end of the league year. Regardless, this is a saga that both sides are extremely happy has come to an end. Now they can focus on football.