West Notes: Bosa, Raiders, Cardinals, Palmer

Although Joey Bosa‘s camp has reportedly made the latest offer in his contract battle with the Chargers, Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB doesn’t expect the team to blink in the two sides’ stare down. Instead, given that the third overall pick has no leverage, the Bolts will wait him out. The deadline for the Chargers to trade the lone holdout from this year’s rookie class passed Tuesday, so the ex-Ohio State star will either have to sign with San Diego or skip this season and reenter the draft next spring. If Bosa doesn’t sign by the Tuesday after Week 10, he won’t be eligible to play this year. The 21-year-old and the Chargers are locked in a dispute over signing bonus distribution and offset language in a potential contract.

More from the NFL’s two West-based divisions:

  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) believes the Raiders’ Reggie McKenzie will have as difficult a job as any general manager for 53-man roster cuts as his team boasts one of the league’s deepest rosters. For a full view of the Raiders’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource.
  • McKenzie has fared excellently in rebuilding the Raiders, but he’ll have his work cut out going forward while he tries to retain talent, as Joel Corry of CBS Sports details. If quarterback Derek Carr – whom the Raiders control through 2017 – signs an extension worth $20MM per year after this season, it will somewhat hinder McKenzie’s ability to maintain a deep roster. The same is true of superstar defensive end Khalil Mack, who could become the NFL’s first $20MM-per-year non-quarterback in either 2017 or 2018, writes Corry. Still, even if the Raiders allocate sizable chunks of spending room to those two integral cogs, they’ll still be a long way from the cap problems they had upon hiring McKenzie in January 2012, notes Corry. Since taking the reins, the GM has done a masterful job structuring contracts to avoid dealing with dead money.
  • One trade McKenzie made early in his tenure – a 2013 deal that sent quarterback Carson Palmer and a seventh-round pick to Arizona for a sixth-rounder and a conditional selection – looks to be among the best moves in Cardinals history, opines Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910. Palmer scuffled in Oakland, but he has revived his career with the Super Bowl-contending Cardinals, having helped the team to a 29-9 record in his starts while throwing 70 touchdowns against 36 interceptions. As a result, Arizona extended Palmer through 2018 last week.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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