A day devoted to hotel check-ins, medical evaluations, conditioning tests and meetings will be remembered more in San Diego for who didn't check in, who didn't take his physical, who bypassed his on-field workout and missed his meetings.
Joey Bosa was not present Friday.
His training-camp holdout begins.
The Chargers were unable to reach contractual terms with their defensive end and No. 3 overall pick by the report date of training camp. Rookie holdouts are far less prevalent since the 2011 collective bargaining agreement reduced wiggle room in first-year player negotiations. Still, an impasse exists. Bosa is not expected to be present Saturday when the first practice starts.
Beyond that, there is no indication this holdout will end particularly soon.
To say Bosa not only will be signed but cleared to play Aug. 13 for the Chargers' first exhibition game in Tennessee would require a leap of faith. Ultimately, no one can predict when this situation is resolved; it would seem in both parties' best interest for Bosa to miss as little instructional time as possible, given he'll have to catch up once he does report and the team has high expectations for his role in 2016.
"We're disappointed that he's not here," Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said Friday. "We just have some small, fundamental differences that haven't been resolved yet. But we're still actively talking. We're still actively working on it."
In some respects, the two sides are close.
They know it will be a four-year deal with a fifth-year team option. The total value of the contract, slotted at roughly $25 million, will be fully guaranteed. It will feature a $17.1 million signing bonus that Bosa will pocket no later than next March. By and large, such details are outlined in the CBA, effectively expediting the negotiation process.
But a distinct hurdle remains before Bosa hops on a flight from Florida.
While neither party chose to publicly convey the greater details of the stalemate in the interest of keeping talks peaceful and protected, there is known disagreement on what percentage of Bosa's signing bonus should be deferred to the 2017 calendar year. For players, it generally is considered favorable to receive more money upfront. Willingness to feature off-set language (a team-friendly provision) in Bosa's contract comes with expectation of minimal deferral amount.
Bosa's camp awaits a bonus payment plan that it considers fair.
When Bosa will pocket his signing bonus _ be it all this calendar year or a portion in March _ may seem like immaterial to some. The Chargers, however, take the situation for what it is. They don't view Bosa as a villain; this holdout does not reflect negatively on him. Expectations remain high for the 21-year-old, who impressed in the spring and projects to start at left defensive end this year. Simply put, signing bonus deferral is a negotiable aspect of a player contract, part of the business side of the sport, and a disagreement keeps Bosa from training camp now.
The wait begins.