Chargers' Bradley Bozeman contract isn't nearly as bad as it seemed

When the Los Angeles Chargers re-signed center Bradley Bozeman and reporters started getting in the mix on actual contract details, fans weren’t all that happy.

Turns out the Bozeman contract isn’t all that bad.

Initially reported as a two-year deal “worth up to” $12 million, the reality is the contract has a $2.1 million signing bonus and the following actual cap hits:

2025: $2,305,000
2026: $4,175,000

Once again, the “worth up to” is doing some silly, agent-friendly heavy lifting.

This time, Chargers fans were understandably miffed because they watched the team lose someone like defensive lineman Poona Ford for what should have been an affordable contract – the front office entered this ordeal with more than $90 million to spend, after all.

The actual contract for Bozeman, who ranked 36th/64 amongst centers graded at PFF last year, is laced with incentives and doesn’t guarantee a starting job – rather, it encourages competition.

Make no mistake: the Chargers have had a strange start to free agency’s legal tampering window. But the Bozeman contract locks up a veteran they really like who can provide critical depth and doesn’t hurt the overarching plan in any way.

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