Chargers Announce Joey Bosa Rejected Latest Contract Proposal

The negotiations between the San Diego Chargers and their No. 3 overall pick, Joey Bosa, seem to be deteriorating.

Not only have they failed to come to terms on a deal with the regular season just a few weeks away, but the organization has also released a statement blaming the player for unreasonable demands:

Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune provided the latest in negotiations:

Chargers President of Football Operations John Spanos didn't mince words when discussing the current situation, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune:

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I'm highly, highly disappointed in the path we've had to take. It's so overly clear we had no choice. It would have been more difficult if I felt they were being reasonable. But when you're dealing with someone who isn't reasonable, it makes it easy. ... I'm blown away. At all costs I wanted to avoid going down this road. They made it overly clear we had no other option.

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If the Chargers stand by their statement, the offer for Bosa is only going to get worse as the year progresses, likely prorated based on when he returns to action. Considering how far apart the two sides have been, it seems unlikely the defensive end will play in Week 1.

Bosa's representatives would later issue a statement in response to the comments made by the Chargers, via ESPN's Adam Schefter: 

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It is unfortunate the [San Diego] Chargers have decided to manipulate facts and negotiate in the media. The team surely is not strengthening its relationship with [Joey] Bosa by taking this stance and making their position public.

We have decided that we will not engage in public negotiations or discuss numbers and/or terms in this negotiation.

We will say, that it is ironic that the team now takes issue with the timing of Joey’s arrival, since the Chargers unilaterally decided to remain silent for the first 14 days of training camp instead of replying in a timely fashion to the proposal we made on the eve of training camp on July 28th.

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 of our clients. The Chargers can focus on trying to sway public opinion, but our focus will remain on our client and securing a contract for him that is fair and consistent with his draft position.

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The front office failed to recognize one of the dividing points on this negotiation has nothing to do with money, according to Dieter Kurtenbach of Fox Sports:

The offset language prepares San Diego for a potential release of the player before his contract ends, an uncommon practice for top-five talents.

Bleacher Report's Matt Miller noted Bosa has other options:

Considering he only recently turned 21 years old, there will likely be plenty of interest in the talented defender if he returns to the draft next April.

As for the Chargers, they are prepared for any situation, regardless of whether Bosa joins the team or not.

"We'll have a plan for him whenever he's here," head coach Mike McCoy said, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. "We've talked about it over time, from the very beginning of camp. So we've got a plan for when he's in the building. But I'm very pleased with the other 89 guys in camp at this point in time."

He added that Darius Philon and Tenny Palepoi would be potential replacements in the lineup.

San Diego drafted Bosa to help improve a defense that ranked 27th against the run in 2015 while finishing 24th in total sacks. The lineman was a dominant force at Ohio State, twice named a consensus All-American while tallying 18.5 sacks and 37.5 tackles for loss over the past two seasons.

The 6'5", 269-pound player was also a major part of the Buckeyes' run to the 2014 national championship.

It's clear he would help San Diego if he was on the field, but based on the latest news, he isn't likely to suit up any time soon.

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