Joey Bosa -- at long last -- is under contract.
The Chargers announced Monday that they finally have signed the elusive first-round defensive end to a four-year contract.
The deal ends one of the more nettlesome and controversial rookie holdouts in recent league history after Bosa, the former Ohio State star, and the team were deadlocked on how guarantees in his contract would be distributed.
The nitty-gritty details have yet to be announced, but NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported that Bosa inked a four-year, $25.8 million deal, per a source. The fully guaranteed pact comes with a $17 million signing bonus, per Rapoport, the largest upfront bonus installment in Chargers history for a veteran or rookie.
"I am very relieved. I knew it was going to get done. I was just surprised how long it took," Bosa told reporters Monday. "I really left it mostly to my agents. That's why I trust them. We just wanted what's fair and what people in my position have gotten through the last five, six years. We came to a fair deal. There's no animosity between any of us, me towards them or them towards me."
"We look forward to having Joey join us and getting him prepared as quickly as possible for the 2016 season," Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said in a statement released by the club -- a statement far less incendiary than the contentious, detail-filled missive the Bolts released a week ago describing their dealings with the rookie.
The late-August signing leaves Bosa under the gun to develop in a hurry. After missing all of training camp and three preseason games, the third-overall pick is no guarantee to make an immediate impact in San Diego.
"We'll see when he's ready to go. We're not going to put a timetable on it," head coach Mike McCoy told reporters Monday. "We'll get him up to speed as quickly as we can. ... It's a matter of just getting used to playing in pads with his teammates."
The hope, though, is that he can help the team this season, channeling the disruptive play that helped the 6-foot-5, 280-pounder notch 26 sacks, 24 quarterback hurries, 50.5 tackles for loss and five forced fumbles over 41 games with the Buckeyes.
Bosa's holdout triggered bad blood from both sides while bubbling into a nasty public-relations mess for the Chargers. With their first-round prize finally on the roster, it's time for everyone to bury the hatchet and prepare the newbie pass-rusher for the season ahead.
