Chargers' Best, Worst Contracts
- The four-year extension the Chargers gave receiver Keenan Allen in June is the team’s best deal, opines Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Allen’s contract is worth $45MM, including $20.7MM in guarantees, which Fitzgerald regards as a bargain for a 24-year-old who has averaged 93 catches, 1,104 yards and seven touchdowns per 16 games during his three seasons in the NFL. Conversely, the four-year, $28MM pact the Chargers handed left tackle King Dunlap last offseason is their worst, writes Fitzgerald, who argues the Bolts made an unnecessary commitment (including $8.5MM in guarantees) to a player who only should’ve been a stopgap.
Latest On Chargers, Joey Bosa
There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight to the contract standoff between the Chargers and first-round defensive end Joey Bosa, writes Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who adds that the third overall pick will be ineligible to play this season if he doesn’t sign by the Tuesday after Week 10. Fortunately for both parties, that’s a long way off. But in the highly unlikely event the Chargers already feel their rift with Bosa is irreparable, they have until Aug. 9 to trade the ex-Ohio State star’s rights. An unsigned Bosa would otherwise be under the Bolts’ control until the start of the 2017 draft, and he unsurprisingly wouldn’t be permitted to talk with any other teams beforehand or attend next February’s scouting combine.
As of Monday, Bosa and the Chargers, who are at loggerheads over signing bonus distribution and offset language, hadn’t conversed since July 28. Bosa’s camp, led by agent Todd France, reportedly wants the Chargers to pay the 21-year-old the entirety of his signing bonus (approximately $17MM) in 2016. San Diego, meanwhile, would rather wait until next March to dole out a “significant portion” of the bonus. At last check, the Chargers want to give Bosa roughly 61 percent of his signing bonus during this calendar year, which is the same payout schedule the Cowboys agreed to with fourth overall selection Ezekiel Elliott, who was Bosa’s teammate at Ohio State and went one pick after him.
Further, in order for Bosa to agree to offset language in the fourth year of his deal, his reps wants to see the majority of his bonus paid up front. If a player with offset language in his contract is released midway through the pact, the original team is only on the hook for the difference in salary between the two deals. Without offset language, the player can effectively collect two paychecks. Naturally, there are many agents who are disinclined to forfeit that potential earning power.
The NFL’s current collective bargaining agreement has made negotiating rookie contracts much simpler than it was before, which had led to far less acrimony between teams and new draft picks. Bosa’s situation is a throwback, then, and his holdout is now the longest the league has seen since the introduction of the rookie wage scale in 2011.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors’ Instagram account.
Chargers Sign James Jones
5:04pm: The signing is now official, and the Chargers have waived/injured wide receiver Jamaal Jones to create a roster spot, tweets Eric Williams of ESPN.com
2:58pm: The Chargers have agreed to sign James Jones, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jones met with the Chargers on Tuesday morning and San Diego apparently liked what they saw from him. 
[RELATED: Impact Rookies — San Diego Chargers]
Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
As Stevie Johnson deals with a knee injury, the Chargers are looking for an experienced fill-in to help round out their group of receivers and Jones could be that guy. As shown on Roster Resource, Johnson is slated to work behind Keenan Allen and offseason pickup Travis Benjamin in the club’s wideout pecking order, but an ACL issue has put his season in jeopardy. The Bolts – who also have Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, Torrence Allen, and Isaiah Burse on the depth chart – are waiting on a second opinion to see if Johnson will be able to suit up this year. In his first year with the Bolts, Johnson battled injuries and posted respectable production in 10 games, racking up 45 catches on 65 targets for 497 yards and three touchdowns.
The Chargers also worked out Brian Hartline and Lance Moore on Tuesday, but it sounds like they might not have a need for either player now that Jones is in the fold.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers Working Out WRs
12:58pm: In addition to Jones and Hartline, the Chargers are also working out Lance Moore, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Moore hooked on with the Lions last year and hauled in 29 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns. In the year prior, he was used sparingly as a member of the Steelers. Moore spent the 2006-2013 with the Saints, where he was often a key contributor in their offense.
9:36am: The Chargers are hosting veteran wide receiver James Jones on a visit today, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). San Diego will also work out Brian Hartline, Rapoport adds (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Latest On Chargers, Joey Bosa]
As Stevie Johnson deals with a knee injury, the Chargers are looking for an experienced fill-in to help round out their group of receivers. As shown on Roster Resource, Johnson is slated to work behind Keenan Allen and offseason pickup Travis Benjamin in the club’s wideout pecking order, but an ACL issue has put his season in jeopardy. The Bolts also have Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, Javontee Herndon, Torrence Allen, and Isaiah Burse on the depth chart, though none of those players offer a resume like that of Jones or Hartline. In his first year with the Bolts, Johnson battled injuries and posted respectable production in 10 games, racking up 45 catches on 65 targets for 497 yards and three touchdowns.
In June, Jones said that he would “love” to join the 49ers, though he acknowledged that he was not in a position to be choosy. Jones led the Packers in 2015 with 890 receiving yards off of 50 receptions. He also led Green Bay’s wide receivers with eight touchdowns. That was a different stat line than 2014, a year in which he corralled a career-high 73 receptions for just 666 yards and six touchdowns for the Raiders.
Hartline, 29, suffered a broken collarbone during a December win over the 49ers and immediately underwent surgery to correct the issue. This offseason, the Browns released him. The local product, who played his college ball at Ohio State, finished his first and only season in Cleveland with 46 catches, 523 yards, and a pair of touchdowns. There hasn’t been much interest in Hartline since he was cut loose in March.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Chargers, Joey Bosa
The Chargers have yet to sign their first-round pick and, from the sound of it, the two sides aren’t any closer to an accord than they were last week. Joey Bosa‘s team hasn’t spoken with the Chargers since Thursday, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
[RELATED: Impact Rookies — San Diego Chargers]
Bosa’s reps reportedly want the entirety of his ~$17MM signing bonus to be paid in 2016. San Diego, meanwhile, wants to wait until next March before paying out a “significant portion” of the bonus. The two sides are also hung up on offset language. In short, in order for Bosa to agree to offset language in the fourth year of the deal, his team wants to see the majority of his bonus paid up front. At last check, the Bolts want to give Bosa roughly 61% of his signing bonus during this calendar year, which is the same payout schedule the Cowboys agreed to with No. 4 overall pick Ezekiel Elliott.
Bosa stands as the only unsigned first-round pick after Joshua Garnett reached a deal with the 49ers and Darron Lee inked his contract with the Jets.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Chargers Waive/Injure Wray, Chestnut, Sign Gaston, Byndom
- The Chargers have placed DE Carlos Wray and CB Terrell Chestnut on the waived-injured list and have signed DT Bruce Gaston and CB Carrington Byndom, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).
Latest On Joey Bosa, Chargers
The contract stalemate between the Chargers and No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa is centered around offset language and payout structure, and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune adds a few more specifics to the dispute, reporting that Bosa and his camp want the entirety of his ~$17MM signing bonus to be paid in 2016. San Diego, meanwhile, prefers to pay a “significant portion” of the bonus next March.
[RELATED: Impact Rookies — San Diego Chargers]
The Chargers’ offer to Bosa is similar in nature to the deal signed between the Cowboys and fourth overall pick Ezekiel Elliott, according to Acee. Elliott will receive roughly 61% of his signing bonus during this calendar year, so using the same structure, San Diego wants to delay about $6.6MM of Bosa’s signing bonus until next March. Bosa’s agent Todd France, meanwhile, made clear last month that that structure is unacceptable.
The two sides still disagree on offset language, per Acee, as Bosa wants some sort of compensation — namely, his prefered bonus payout schedule — as a reward for agreeing to negate his fourth-year guarantee if he’s released by the Chargers and signs with a new club. So while offsets aren’t a key sticking point in talks, they are inextricably linked to the structure negotiations.
Bosa, who is now the only rookie who remains unsigned after Joshua Garnett reached a deal with the 49ers this morning, did not report to training camp yesterday, but general manager Tom Telesco indicated that the Chargers will stand by their contract approach in the name of precedent. Head coach Mike McCoy also told reporters today, including Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, that Bosa “needs to be here” in order to get comfortable with the club’s playbook.
Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.
Chargers' Stadium Receives Key Endorsement
- The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce endorsed the Chargers‘ downtown stadium initiative, Roger Showley of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. However, the backing might not mean too much since the measure, as of now, needs a two-thirds majority to pass in November.
- That prospect remains a long-odds proposition, Union-Tribune’s Logan Jenkins points out. Jenkins doesn’t envision the measure passing at 50%. The California Supreme Court’s recent decision to review an appellate court’s ruling requires the measure to receive a two-thirds majority to pass. That 66.6% number is not finalized, however. Jenkins adds that the Chargers’ preferred downtown stadium not being likely to pass opens the door to a compromise in the form of a renovated Qualcomm Stadium. While the team’s efforts are being put into moving downtown, the Chargers will have options of becoming the Rams’ tenants in Los Angeles or making it work at their current Mission Valley site. Jenkins writes the latter choice would work out best for the Chargers’ standing in the community, staying in San Diego and not forcing what seems to be a largely unwanted downtown measure on taxpayers. A move to L.A. could decimate their fanbase as well, with the Rams having already set up shop there and the Chargers having essentially no footprint in the city.
Chargers Sign Marcel Jones
- The Chargers announced the signing of offensive lineman Marcel Jones.
Chargers Release C Trevor Robinson
The Chargers have released center Trevor Robinson, a source tells Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego (on Twitter). The move clears $2.3MM in cap space for the team. 
Robinson started 13 games in 2015 but was considered a potential cap casualty this summer. The 26-year-old is still not back to 100% after a shoulder injury he suffered last season, made 13 starts in 15 appearances for the Chargers in 2015. San Diego has since added free agent pickup Matt Slauson and third-rounder Max Tuerk to the fray at center.
In other Chargers news, first-round pick Joey Bosa is not reporting to the team today as his contract holdout continues. Recently, in a PFR exclusive, scouting guru Dave-Te Thomas gave an in-depth look at Bosa and the rest of San Diego’s rookie class.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.