Joey Bosa Buffalo Bills
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Joey Bosa #97 of the Buffalo Bills.
The Buffalo Bills have taken a pair of big swings at aging pass rushers, adding Von Miller in 2022 and Joey Bosa last offseason.
Both moves brought mixed results, with each player bringing some immediate impacts but also some deficiencies, especially related to injuries. The Bills cut ties with Miller last year, and one insider believes they will soon do the same with Bosa.
Bills Urged to Avoid Big Commitment to Joey Bosa
NFL teams face a Wednesday deadline to decide whether they will use the franchise tag on any of their pending free agents. Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus listed the top candidate from all 32 NFL teams, suggesting the Bills don’t have a clear candidate at all.
Locker noted that Bosa might be one of the only players close to fitting the bill, but the team would avoid making such a large financial commitment.
“The Bills have several players on expiring contracts that they’d like to return, but none would realistically be franchise-tag material,” Locker wrote. “Although Joey Bosa (85.5 PFF pass-rush grade) flashed in his first year in Buffalo, his market value is well below the $27.3 million tag. Meanwhile, David Edwards (75.0 PFF pass-blocking grade) is one of the better guards on the market, but his annual average value (AAV) will fall way short of the offensive line franchise tag.”
If the team heeds Locker’s advice, it would likely be the last remaining chance to keep Bosa before he heads to free agency.
Others agree that Bosa’s time in Buffalo could be coming to an end. SI.com’s Alex Brasky predicted the Bills would allow the veteran edge rusher to head to free agency, noting that he failed to make a significant impact during his one season in Buffalo.
“Bosa’s five sacks were second on the team this season, while his quarterback pressure rate was third among Bills defensive linemen,” Brasky wrote. “But that’s not saying much, as the Bills struggled to get opposing quarterbacks on the ground all year. He didn’t record a single sack over the past five weeks of the regular season and playoffs and was also a liability against the run.”
Another Potential Destination for Joey Bosa
Bosa could have other options if he does hit free agency. ESPN’s Matt Bowen suggested the Detroit Lions could take a swing, hoping Bosa could become a competent counterpart for star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
“The Lions had 16 sacks on third down last season (tied for 15th in the league), so Detroit could add Bosa to elevate its sub-package pass rush,” Bowen wrote. “Bosa, who had five sacks with the Bills in 2025, fits well opposite Aidan Hutchinson with his speed-to-power production and the effort level to clean up late in plays.”
The Lions could be losing a key player of their own, with Al-Quadin Muhammad set to hit free agency after recording 11 sacks last season. Muhammad was one of the team’s most reliable pass rushers since they drafted Hutchinson in 2022, but many team insiders believe he will not return to Detroit on a new contract.