The Rant: I’m over the Joey Bosa saga

“The Rant” is a series where the author gets to annoyingly ramble about whatever’s on his mind.

Embarrassed. Disgusted. Infuriated.

Three adjectives of how I am feeling with what’s going on. I’m tired of it, quite frankly.

Being a Chargers fan is getting harder by the day. Hearing friends ask, “So what’s going on with Joey Bosa? Is he going to sign?” I thought this would be over by now. I really, really did.

But it’s not. It’s not even close to being over. The last time the Chargers and Bosa spoke was right before training camp started, which was a little over 10 days ago. If anything, it’s gotten worse.

For those of you who are not aware, chaos struck on Sunday because of one woman: Bosa’s mother, Cheryl Bosa. She didn’t pull a “Helen of Troy” and start a war, but her one comment could divide fans.

“It bums me out for him so much,” Bosa’s mom said in a Facebook comment regarding the contract dispute between the Chargers and Bosa, which was first found by SD Bolt Report, a Chargers blog. “Wish we pulled an Eli Manning on draft day.” The account was verified by sources including Michael Gehklen of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Well, that’s a hard kick straight to the gonads of the Chargers organization. We all remember what went down in the 2004 draft, when Manning was picked by the Chargers against his (and his father’s) will, only to be traded to the New York Giants in exchange for Philip Rivers, Shawne Merriman and Nate Kaeding.

And what did I mean by her comment dividing fans? Well, some support her comment, while others are bashing her and putting all the blame on Bosa. I’m indifferent. I disapprove of family members getting involved in these type of situations (looking at you, Ayesha Curry), but Bosa’s mom has the right to be upset with the way the Chargers are handling business with her son. I mean, he is the only unsigned player left from the 2016 draft.

A quick refresher: This dispute is about payment.

Bosa’s holdout, which is the longest since the 2011 labor deal that simplified the process of signing rookies, stems from offset language in his fully guaranteed deal. The Chargers want to defer a sizeable amount of his signing bonus to 2017 while he seeks either no offset language of the bonus to be paid in full in 2016. – Nunzio Ingrassia, Fox Sports

For the Chargers, it’s the way they’ve always done business, but they have not had a top-five pick under the new CBA agreement. I get it–they set a precedent and don’t want to look weak if they give in. But it’s not about that anymore. It’s about signing the man they’ve wanted since LAST OCTOBER. If you think about, Bosa was the No. 1 overall choice in the draft, considering both the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles traded up to take their respective quarterbacks.

And the facts are now present thanks to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. If the Chargers want to trade Bosa, they have until Tuesday to do so. If they don’t trade him, and Bosa doesn’t sign by the Tuesday after Week 10, then he won’t be able to play at all in 2016. If that’s the case, then Bosa could re-enter the draft in 2017.

Again, how could you even think about letting your guy walk. Bosa was picked to help fix a defensive line that couldn’t stop the run or get to the quarterback. You could argue that Bosa’s selection ignited a fire under some players, which included defensive end Corey Liuget, who dropped down to a staggering 290 pounds. Bosa was a part of the community right away.

But now Bosa looks like the villain. Many will say that he has yet to play a down in the NFL, so why should he get what he wants? It’s not on him. The Chargers organization is making it worse by playing this tortuous game with the fans. Enough is enough–it’s time to sign Bosa and put this whole ordeal behind them. Bosa could give this team a chance to turn things around, and it seems as if the Chargers front office is more concerned about their pride and ego.

Bosa, who was just able to legally drink a beer a month ago, was dominant in college, but this is the NFL, and the young buck needs as many reps as possible before the season starts. It just baffles my mind that it has gotten to this point. Future draftees will now look at how the Chargers conduct business and will be petrified of being a member of the team. Not only that, but it could negatively impact stadium voting in November.

Chargers, help us out. Sign Bosa. Remove this dark cloud that has been hovering over our heads.

On a side note, I joined Sportscast Radio on Sunday to talk about Bosa as well as the Chargers’ 2016 outlook. Check it out here (eight-minute mark).