Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa has played his way into a monstrous payday.
Bosa was named to his second Pro Bowl after finishing with 69 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, along with 51 quarterback pressures this past season.
Prior to that, he was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016.
Bosa has 40 sacks in 51 career games, which makes him the 10th player since 1982 to total 40 or more sacks in his first 50 games.
This has been accomplished even with injuries that have kept him out of contests along the way.
At the moment, Bosa is slated to make $14.36 million on his fifth-year option in 2020. Based on the impact that he’s made since joining the team in 2016, he would be underpaid if he was to play making that much.
If the franchise doesn’t pay him, there could possibly be a holdout on the horizon. So how much are we talking to avoid the worst case scenario from occurring?
On Tuesday, the Browns and Myles Garrett agreed to a five-year extension worth $125 million ($25 million per year), which tops all defensive ends in the league.
The second highest paid is Bears’ Khalil Mack at $23.5 million a year. Right behind him is Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence at $21 million annually.
Bosa’s next contract should be well within this ballpark, and with the Chargers set to have the third-most cap space in the NFL in 2021, they need to move quick before they’re the ones paying the price.