- Thread Author
- #1
tbone413
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 8, 2011
- Messages
- 1,588
I wasn't aware of the details behind this holdout, but one guy on Reddit made a pretty good post explaining the situation, and I must say it makes the Chargers look really, really bad.
The post is below for anyone interested:
-------------------------------------------
What's the deal with Joey Bosa and the Chargers?
Bosa and the Chargers are currently involved in a dispute about the terms of their contract.
Aren't rookie deals preset in this CBA? What's the hold up?
Total money is set but there are still things to discuss, such as when bonus money is paid out and something called offset language, among other things. The big disagreement between Bosa and the Chargers is about the bonus payout and the offset language.
What is offset language?
Contracts for the top half of the first round are fully guaranteed. Offset language comes into play in the event a player doesn't finish out his contract.
Let's say, for the sake of simplicity, that Bosa signs a 4 year, $16M contract, at $4M a year. As the #3 pick in the draft, this deal would be fully guaranteed. Now let's say for whatever reason, the Chargers cut Bosa after year 3. They'd still owe him $4M.
Upon release, if Bosa signs a new deal with the Raiders for 1 year, $3M, then he would collect $7M that year. He'd get the $4M he's owed from the Chargers plus the $3M from the Raiders.
But with offset language in the contract, the Chargers wouldn't be responsible for the whole $4M. They would only be responsible for paying the difference between what they owe and what he earns with his new deal. So if he signs that $3M deal, the Chargers would only have to pay $1M ($4M they owe minus the $3M new deal). In this case, Bosa would only collect $4M that year ($3M from the Raiders plus the $1M from the Chargers). If he signed a $4M deal, the Chargers wouldn't owe him anything.
Teams want offset language, players don't.
What's the deal with the bonus money?
Bosa wants all his signing bonus money up front, the Chargers want to defer some of it to future years. Again, the contract is fully guaranteed so they aren't trying to avoid paying him, they're just trying to avoid paying him this year.
What's the precedent for this situation?
According to PFT:
The fact remains that, since 2012, the third overall pick has had either no offset or no deferral.
Basically, Bosa wants what everyone else in his position has received since the new CBA was put in place. He either wants his bonus money up front OR he wants no offset language. He's not asking for both, he just wants one or the other. Meanwhile the Chargers want to defer his bonus AND they want him to have offset language. They don't want to give in on either issue.
What can Bosa do? What can the Chargers do?
Easiest things: Bosa can budge and give in to the Chargers, accepting a deal with offset language and deferred bonus money. OR The Chargers can budge and give in to Bosa, giving him no offsets and/or all his bonus money up front.
Assuming neither side wants to budge any time soon, here's what the timeline looks like:
They have until Tuesday after Week 10 to come to an agreement on a contract which would allow Bosa to play this year. Following that Tuesday, if there is still no contract in place, they have until the first day of the 2017 draft to come to an agreement which would allow Bosa to play for them starting in 2017. If the first day of the draft comes and he has not signed a new contract, he is entered into that draft and eligible to be drafted by any team except the Chargers.
Relevant passage from the CBA that mentions the above:
Can Bosa go back to college? Or play in Canada or Arena Football?
He can't play any college ball. He can go play in Canada or some other pro league, but if he does that the Chargers would own his exclusive NFL rights for 3 years (in this case he wouldn't enter the 2017 draft, or any other future draft), and then would have first refusal rights after that. So if he plays in Canada for 1 to 3 years and comes back, he can only sign with the Chargers, unless they waive their rights to him. If he comes back in 4 years then he can negotiate with any team, however the Chargers get a chance to match the deal with a right of first refusal (similar to being a restricted free agent).
Relevant CBA passage:
The post is below for anyone interested:
-------------------------------------------
What's the deal with Joey Bosa and the Chargers?
Bosa and the Chargers are currently involved in a dispute about the terms of their contract.
Aren't rookie deals preset in this CBA? What's the hold up?
Total money is set but there are still things to discuss, such as when bonus money is paid out and something called offset language, among other things. The big disagreement between Bosa and the Chargers is about the bonus payout and the offset language.
What is offset language?
Contracts for the top half of the first round are fully guaranteed. Offset language comes into play in the event a player doesn't finish out his contract.
Let's say, for the sake of simplicity, that Bosa signs a 4 year, $16M contract, at $4M a year. As the #3 pick in the draft, this deal would be fully guaranteed. Now let's say for whatever reason, the Chargers cut Bosa after year 3. They'd still owe him $4M.
Upon release, if Bosa signs a new deal with the Raiders for 1 year, $3M, then he would collect $7M that year. He'd get the $4M he's owed from the Chargers plus the $3M from the Raiders.
But with offset language in the contract, the Chargers wouldn't be responsible for the whole $4M. They would only be responsible for paying the difference between what they owe and what he earns with his new deal. So if he signs that $3M deal, the Chargers would only have to pay $1M ($4M they owe minus the $3M new deal). In this case, Bosa would only collect $4M that year ($3M from the Raiders plus the $1M from the Chargers). If he signed a $4M deal, the Chargers wouldn't owe him anything.
Teams want offset language, players don't.
What's the deal with the bonus money?
Bosa wants all his signing bonus money up front, the Chargers want to defer some of it to future years. Again, the contract is fully guaranteed so they aren't trying to avoid paying him, they're just trying to avoid paying him this year.
What's the precedent for this situation?
According to PFT:
The fact remains that, since 2012, the third overall pick has had either no offset or no deferral.
Basically, Bosa wants what everyone else in his position has received since the new CBA was put in place. He either wants his bonus money up front OR he wants no offset language. He's not asking for both, he just wants one or the other. Meanwhile the Chargers want to defer his bonus AND they want him to have offset language. They don't want to give in on either issue.
What can Bosa do? What can the Chargers do?
Easiest things: Bosa can budge and give in to the Chargers, accepting a deal with offset language and deferred bonus money. OR The Chargers can budge and give in to Bosa, giving him no offsets and/or all his bonus money up front.
Assuming neither side wants to budge any time soon, here's what the timeline looks like:
They have until Tuesday after Week 10 to come to an agreement on a contract which would allow Bosa to play this year. Following that Tuesday, if there is still no contract in place, they have until the first day of the 2017 draft to come to an agreement which would allow Bosa to play for them starting in 2017. If the first day of the draft comes and he has not signed a new contract, he is entered into that draft and eligible to be drafted by any team except the Chargers.
Relevant passage from the CBA that mentions the above:
Can Bosa go back to college? Or play in Canada or Arena Football?
He can't play any college ball. He can go play in Canada or some other pro league, but if he does that the Chargers would own his exclusive NFL rights for 3 years (in this case he wouldn't enter the 2017 draft, or any other future draft), and then would have first refusal rights after that. So if he plays in Canada for 1 to 3 years and comes back, he can only sign with the Chargers, unless they waive their rights to him. If he comes back in 4 years then he can negotiate with any team, however the Chargers get a chance to match the deal with a right of first refusal (similar to being a restricted free agent).
Relevant CBA passage:
