Chargers first-round pick Joey Bosa, the only unsigned draft pick in this year’s class, continues to get free advice from his future teammates.
And the latest suggests that Bosa should bypass his agents and make something happen on his own.
Via Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune, veteran tight end Antonio Gates said at some point the onus for getting to camp had to be on Bosa himself.
“My advice to any player that’s going through any kind of contract situation is that, at one point, you’ve got to be a man and you’ve got to understand that you’ve got to get ready to play,” Gates said.
Gates said he had to do just that in 2005, to get himself into camp in time.
“Sometimes you’ve got to just, as a man, you’ve got to step in and say, ‘This is what it’s going to be,’” Gates said. “Because sometimes, whether or not [there is] miscommunication with the General Manager or the agent, whatever it is, at the end of the day, it’s your life, it’s your career.
“And you kind of know what’s best for you, and you know what you need. You still have to have that tunnel vision of being able to go out and perform at the highest level. So, to me, that was always the determining factor when I had issues.”
Gates’ own impasse wasn’t broken until Aug. 22, and now that the Chargers can’t trade him, we’re down to either sign Bosa or don’t. There has been no word of any talks since July 28, so for now, we wait.