In a move that was widely debated but far from guaranteed, the Los Angeles Chargers decided to make it official, releasing Joey Bosa from his contract, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
That's right, while the idea of moving on from Bosa, who has dealt with injuries as of late, was heavily discussed, according to Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz, the decision to release the fan-favorite ultimately came down to one thing above all others: saving over $25 million in cap space heading into the 2025 NFL calendar year.
“By releasing Joey Bosa, the Chargers clear $25.3M in cap,” Schultz wrote. “He’s now free to sign anywhere he wants.”
One of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL, Bosa initially looked like one of the best players to grace the league in recent years, and to be fair, his production matched that excitement. The 2016 Rookie of the Year, Bosa recorded double-digit sacks in four of his first six professional seasons, but over the past three years, Bosa has only appeared in double-digit regular season games once, with his 2024 efforts getting him a Pro Bowl nod despite only picking up five sacks on the season.
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Suddenly free to sign wherever he'd like, Bosa has some tough decisions to make about how to handle the next chapter of his NFL career ahead of his tenth NFL season. Fortunately, according to Ian Rapoport, the free agent has options, including teaming up with his brother Nick Bosa with the 49ers.
“The Chargers star will have options — joining his brother Nick in SF is one of them. His release saved the Chargers $25M against the cap,” Rapoport wrote.
Will the 49ers swoop in and finally reunite the Bosa brothers for the first time since their Ohio State days? Or will some other team swoop in and offer him a bigger role with more short-term Super Bowl upside? While only time will tell, one thing is clear: all 32 teams now have a chance to sign Bosa to a new deal, and he will certainly impact whichever division he decides to join moving forward.