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Gregory Bull/Associated Press

And now, a journey into the absurd.

When the Chargers take the field for their first exhibition game they will do so without the player they hope will form the foundation of their pass rush for years to come.

As of Thursday, one first-round pick remains unsigned. That's No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa, who remains embroiled in a nasty contract impasse with the Bolts.

As Andy Benoit of the MMQB reports, there's been absolutely zero movement between player and team over the items in dispute—offset language in Bosa's contract and the payment of his signing bonus:

With two outstanding issues simmering, one would think there might be opportunity for compromise, with the Chargers and Bosa each giving on one of the issues, something seen elsewhere in the draft. First overall pick Jared Goff does have deferrals but no offset language. Second overall pick Carson Wentz does have offset language but only $1 million of deferral that is paid in January. And since 2012, the third overall pick has either had: 1. No offset language with deferral; or 2. Offset language with bonus paid before January. This year, 19 of the first 24 picks have had their signing bonus paid in full by the end of 2016. For what it’s worth, last year’s top overall pick, Jameis Winston, had offset language and $6 million of his signing bonus deferred into the subsequent March. The Chargers, despite the above, do not appear to be moving on either issue. Further, it appears that any suggestion that they will give in to Bosa to avoid another distraction with the uncertainty around potential relocation only emboldens them more. They will wait out Bosa, who has no options and, therefore, no leverage.

The brouhaha has been the talk of camp for the Chargers, and as Tom Krasovic of The San Diego Union-Tribune wrote, veteran tight end Antonio Gates has just about had it.

"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," he said.

For the record, Gates held out back in 2005, earning a three-game suspension from the team before caving and signing a one-year deal.

However, for every player or pundit parroting that Bosa should suck it up and sign on the dotted line, there's a counterpoint—such as this one from ESPN's Jim Trotter:

At some point it's fair to ask, when is enough enough? Owners complained that rookies were making too much money under the previous CBA, so the league successfully fought for a rookie wage scale that dramatically slashed the guaranteed dollars when players entered the league. Instead of being content with that victory, however, owners now want to recoup monies if they cut the player and he signs elsewhere. In other words, they want the player to assume some of the financial risk for bad personnel decisions, an attitude that speaks to their arrogance and sense of entitlement. What's next, injured players returning game checks when they're unable to suit up? But owners demand such things because players allow them to get away with it.

Frankly, at this point there are no winners. The player is perceived as a prima donna for holding out. The team's unwillingness to compromise makes it look stubborn to the point of stupid—willing to hurt itself just to make a point. And the Chargers certainly aren't getting better on the field as a result of this mess.

To date, Bosa's given zero indication he's going to cave, nor has the team indicated a willingness to compromise. As unfathomable as it may seem, this could carry over into September.