LA Chargers: 3 things to watch for on first episode of Hard Knocks
By Jason Reed
3. The reaction to Joey Bosa’s extension, particularly with impending free agents
The biggest, most recent LA Chargers news is that Joey Bosa signed a record-setting five-year, $135 million contract extension with the team. Bosa now has the highest average annual salary of any defensive player and got the most guaranteed money of any defensive player in NFL history.
This was a huge weight of the shoulders of many concerned fans that were worried that Bosa would leave the team after the 2020 season (yes, I am talking about myself). After his rookie contract holdout, there was reason to be pessimistic that the two sides could come to an agreement, but alas, Tom Telesco opened the checkbook.
Every player on the Chargers is going to be happy for Bosa and this is not a case of players feeling any jealously or bitterness. Instead, it will be interesting to pick up on the small cues from guys who are impending free agents.
Guys like Keenan Allen, Hunter Henry, Melvin Ingram and Desmond King. Will anything be brought up about the long-term future of the team? Will someone like Keenan Allen say that they are in this together for the long haul (entailing he wants to re-sign as well)? Will Ingram say the same?
The Chargers do not have unlimited funds but they do have a decent amount of cap space to bring back the notable free agents from after the season. This Bosa extension sets the bar and establishes how much the team can pay the other impending free agents.
The internal reaction to this record-setting extension could be telling in what the future holds for the LA Chargers. To see it, though, we may have to read between the lines.