Re-signing Bradley Bozeman was easily the most shocking move the LA Chargers made on the first day of NFL free agency. After all, Bozeman was one of the worst statistical centers in the league last season and was a catalyst for the team's offensive line issues.
Alas, Bozeman is a locker room leader and is someone who Jim Harbaugh appears to have a great deal of respect for. When you are in with Harbaugh you are in for life, hence why Bozeman was re-signed in the first place.
Signing Bozeman to a one-year league-minimum deal to serve as a backup offensive lineman and veteran locker room leader is not the worst thing in the world. However, that isn't what the Chargers did.
The details around Bozeman's contract have been revealed and they are truly shocking. Bozeman's new contract with the Chargers is reportedly for two years and is worth up to $12 million. No, that is not a typo.
Bradley Bozeman's shocking contract makes the signing even worse for the Chargers
Update: Bradley Bozeman's two-year contract has a base salary of $6.5 million with up to $5.5 million in incentives.
The Chargers didn't just re-sign Bradley Bozeman because he is a locker room leader. The team outright committed resources to a player who statistically was one of the worst players in the entire league at his position.
No center in football allowed more pressures than Bozeman's 38 last season and he ranked 15th among 17 qualified centers in Pro Football Focus' pass-block efficiency metric. Bozeman ranked 12th among 15 qualified centers in run-blocking grade, too.
Bozeman's deal is worth up to $12 million, so it is safe to say he will have a low base salary with added incentives. In a perfect world, Bozeman shouldn't have the chance to reach those incentives as he should not be starting for the Chargers.
The fact that the team baked-in incentives, though, highlights that he may have more of a presence on the offensive line than fans realized. After watching Justin Herbert get crunched time and time again in the AFC Wild Card Round, Bozeman starting is a terrifying thought.
Let's also not forget the fact that the Chargers balked at re-signing Poona Ford, who signed a three-year, $29.6 million contract with the LA Rams. Ford was one of the most impactful players on the team last season and the Chargers decided that $9.2 million a year was too much.
However, potentially paying up to $6 million a year for one of the worst centers in the NFL last season isn't considered too much of an ask.