LA Chargers and Joey Bosa Reach a Record-Breaking Extension, 5-Years $135 Million

Joey Bosa and the LA Chargers have reached an agreement about an extension that would make the defensive end the highest-paid defender in the league.

Adam Schefter reported the details of the contract, as there hasn’t been any official statement from each side included.

“Chargers and DE Joey Bosa reached agreement on a 5-year, $135 million extension that ties him to LA the next six years, league sources tell ESPN. He had $78M fully guaranteed at signing and $102M guaranteed – a new NFL defensive record,” Schefter wrote on his Twitter account.

Chargers and DE Joey Bosa reached agreement on a 5-year, $135 million extension that ties him to LA the next six years, league sources tell ESPN. He had $78M fully guaranteed at signing and $102M guaranteed – a new NFL defensive record.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 29, 2020

This is going to be the first deal in the Chargers’ history worth more than $100 million, and a record among the defenders in the NFL. Myles Garrett’s contract was the biggest one for two weeks before Bosa removed him from the top of the highest-paid defenders list.

Apart from this deal, he has the last year on his rookie contract, worth $14.4 million, which makes this deal almost $150 million.

When talking about guaranteed money, Bosa surpassed Garrett’s sum for two million and now tops that list also with $102 million.

As said before, neither side talked about the contract. The Chargers issued a brief statement on their Twitter account confirming that they extended the deal, while Bosa himself just said “I made it” to the cameras before the start of the training session.

With Bosa’s situation solved, the Chargers can focus on bringing other pieces of the team together. With 25 years of age, he has a bright future ahead of him and is definitely the new leader of the franchise from LA.

The strong DE was the third overall pick in the 2016 draft, coming from Ohio State as the 2014 CFP champion and one of the best players in school’s history. Bosa started to show his capabilities right away, establishing himself as the cornerstone of the Chargers’ defense at the time.

He won the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award, recording 10.5 sacks in 12 appearances and 29 total tackles. Later on, he was elected for the Pro-Bowl on two occasions in 2017 and 2019.

So far, Bosa has 51 games played for the Chargers, 148 tackles, 40 sacks, and six forced fumbles, and is among the best in the league when talking about hunting down the rival quarterback. With 0.8 sacks per match, he is behind Garrett, Aaron Donald, and Chandler Jones.

He also has nine multiple-sack games in his career, which is among the best in the league since coming to the NFL.

Bosa is expected to maintain his level of play in the next few years and lift Chargers to the new heights when talking about their defensive performances. They already have a few Pro Bowl players and an excellent foundation for further progress.

What is troubling the team from LA is the fact that they didn’t create an attack that would be at the same level of play as the defense. The legendary Philip Rivers left the franchise, signing with the Colts, and right now, head coach Anthony Lynn has Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert as replacements. According to some, this is not going to be enough for some notable results.

Additionally, several other players left, RB Melvin Gordon, OT Russell Okung, WR Travis Benjamin etc, suggesting that the LAC would have a lot of problems when having the ball in its possession.

It is up to Bosa and the boys from the defensive team to ease these troubles and decrease the turbulences in the upcoming season.