Chargers Fortunate Antiquated, Stubborn Practices Didn't Sink Joey Bosa Deal

The San Diego Chargers could have stood firm on principle. They could have remained stubborn in their contract dispute with rookie No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa, knowing full well that Bosa would eventually have to cave and report to the team or risk losing a year's salary, as well as his entire rookie contract.

As had been widely reported and even publicized by the two parties in dispute, Bosa either wanted his entire signing bonus up front or a contract that omitted offset language. The problem was that the Chargers had never made either concession with a rookie and didn't plan on doing so now.

The result? The potential future of the franchise missed the entirety of his first training camp and at least three key preseason games because San Diego refused to concede something every other team with a top-three pick has conceded since the new collective bargaining agreement was adopted in 2011.

But the Chargers hadn't had a top-three pick in that time frame. In fact, until this year, they hadn't picked in the top 10 since 2004. The principles they were standing on had become outdated; their policies regarding rookie contracts were practically archaic.

A No. 3 overall pick should be viewed as an exceptional case anyway, which is why those old-fashioned unwritten organizational rules should have been thrown out the window the moment Bosa was drafted.

But they weren't, and the Chargers dug in. What's scary is they could have kept digging, forcing Bosa to decide whether to take a deal that didn't adhere to recent precedent or abandon his rookie season and re-enter the draft in 2017.

The Bolts, though, decided to make a concession on that bonus. They'll get their offset language, but they're giving Bosa the largest upfront signing bonus in team history, according to ESPN.com's Adam Schefter, while also reportedly compromising on "cash flow."

That should have been so easy, yet San Diego made it so hard. A franchise already known for treating respected players callously just took yet another public relations hit in order to defend antiquated principles—right as it's trying to curry favor for a new stadium vote.

It was all so embarrassing and so unnecessary.

Look at this way: Even if Bosa had caved on both the timing of his bonus payments and offset language, would it have been worth it?

Probably not, because the most ridiculous thing about what was being disputed is that there's a strong chance none of it ever matters. The broad terms of Bosa's contract were already determined months ago by the draft system. Neither party was fighting over his salary. And if Bosa plays out his four-year rookie deal with the Chargers, the size and timing of his signing bonus will have become irrelevant, and offset language will have become moot.

Player	Year
Junior Seau	1990
Ryan Leaf	1998
LaDainian Tomlinson	2001
Quentin Jammer	2002
Philip Rivers	2004
Shawne Merriman	2005
Ryan Mathews	2010
Joey Bosa	2016

So congratulations to the Chargers for covering themselves financially in the case that Bosa busts, is released prior to the conclusion of his rookie deal and signs elsewhere. If that comes to fruition, they won't be on the hook for his remaining guaranteed salary. Offset language offers them that insurance, which is nice in a worst-case scenario, but it also suggests you lack confidence in the product you're investing in.

Do you know how many top-five picks have been released and signed elsewhere before their rookie contract expired under the current CBA? Zero. Trent Richardson and Dion Jordan were traded, and Justin Blackmon was released but didn't sign with a new team.

The Chargers just alienated a player they're supposed to be celebrating, caused a tremendous distraction and invited even more scrutiny from critics and fans in order to save a few bucks now or cover themselves in the event that said player becomes the first top-five pick of his era to leave town and sign elsewhere prior to the conclusion of his rookie deal.

Bosa is behind schedule, fans are frustrated and San Diego looks even sillier than it did when Eli Manning refused to play there...or when it fined Eric Weddle for watching his daughter's halftime dance ceremony...or when it found a way to ruin its relationship with LaDainian Tomlinson.

What's amazing is the Chargers have set the bar so low for themselves thanks to incidents like those that the mere fact this dispute is over prior to the start of the regular season feels like a victory.

It shouldn't.

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.

Follow @Brad_Gagnon