Joey Bosa landing spots: Best fits for five-time Pro Bowler after release from Chargers

For the first time in his career, Joey Bosa is going to be a free agent. The 29-year-old was released on Wednesday night in a cost-cutting move that will free up $25.3 million in salary cap space for the Los Angeles Chargers. 

Bosa was the third overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and had spent his entire career with the Chargers before being released. During his nine seasons with the team, Bosa put together an impressive career that saw him voted to five Pro Bowls. Now that he’s been cut, the 2016 Defensive Rookie of the Rear will finally get a chance to taste free agency, which means he’ll get to pick the next team he plays for. 

Although Bosa has been battling injuries over the past few years — he’s missed 23 games since the start of the 2022 season — he did play in 14 games during a 2024 season where he recorded five sacks. If Bosa can stay healthy, he can be productive for a new team. 

So where could he end up? Let’s check out eight possible landing spots. 

This is the most obvious one, and that’s mostly because it would pair him up with his brother, Nick Bosa. The two brothers have never played together in the NFL (or college) and this might be their only shot. Back in June 2024, Joey Bosa was actually asked if he would like to eventually team up with his brother and he sounded very open to the idea. “It’d be cool at some point,” he said, via ESPN. 

The mother of the two Bosa brothers, Cheryl, would also absolutely love to see her sons playing together, and she was pushing that idea as recently as last month. 

The fact that Joey Bosa would like to play with his brother and the fact that mom wants it to happen is mostly notable because it could create a situation where he is willing to sign with the 49ers for a discount. The upside for Bosa is that the 49ers have enough depth on defense that he could be a strong rotational player and if he’s a rotational player, that could cut down on his injury risk. 

Nick and Joey have only played one season together ever and that came at St. Thomas Aquinas High in 2012 when Joey was senior and Nick was a freshman. Thirteen years later, the two brothers could be reunited. 

The Lions don’t really have any strong pass-rushers outside of Aidan Hutchinson and that became a problem after Hutchinson went down with a season-ending injury in October. To give you an idea of how bad things were for the Lions: Hutchinson led the team in sacks last season even though he only played in FIVE games. Hutchinson finished with 7.5 sacks while no other player on the team finished with more than four. With Marcus Davenport set to hit free agency, the Lions could use some pass-rushing help, and at the right price Bosa would make some sense for Detroit. 

We’re not even a full week into the month of March and the Bears have already made some big moves. Not only did they make a trade for interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson on Tuesday, but they also pulled off a deal by acquiring three-time Pro Bowler Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. If the Bears have proven one thing since hiring Ben Johnson, it’s that they’re going to do everything they can to turn this team into a playoff contender as quickly as possible. One way to do that would be to add Bosa. The Bears already have Montez Sweat, and if they paired him with someone like Bosa, that would give Chicago a formidable pass-rushing duo. 

The Bengals have given Trey Hendrickson permission to seek a trade, and if they end up dealing him away, they’re likely going to be in the market for a pass-rusher. If that happens, calling Bosa would definitely make some sense. Bosa might not be able to completely replace Hendrickson’s production, but the trade off is that he would almost certainly come at a much cheaper price, so the Bengals could sign Bosa and still have plenty of money to sign a few more defensive players in free agency. 

Every NFC South team

That’s right, EVERY NFC South team should be in the market for Bosa. Here’s a quick reason why: 

• Saints: The Saints just hired a new defensive coordinator in Brandon Staley, who just happens to have been Bosa’s head coach with the Chargers for three seasons. Not only is there some familiarity there, but the Saints will likely be in the market for some pass-rushing help with Chase young and Payton Turner both set to hit free agency. 
• Panthers: Carolina had the worst defense in the NFL last season. The Panthers gave up the most yards per game, they gave up the most points per game and they had just 32 sacks, which was tied for the third fewest in the NFL. The Panthers need all the help they can get on defense and Bosa could probably provide some of that help.
• Falcons: This is a team that definitely needs to add some pass-rushing help. They had just 31 sacks last season, which was the second fewest in the NFL. Matthew Judon had 5.5 of those sacks, but he might not be returning to Atlanta since he’s set to be a free agent. The Falcons don’t really have any salary cap space, which could be the biggest obstacle when it comes to signing Bosa. 
• Buccaneers: The Bucs actually had a solid pass rush in 2024, but none of that really came from their EDGE guys. The Buccaneers totaled 46 sacks last season, but most of that came from their defensive linemen with Calijah Kancey (7.5) and Vita Vea (7 sacks) leading the Bucs in sacks in 2024. Adding a pass-rusher like Bosa might make life easier for those two. Whether they sign Bosa or not, the Bucs will need to do their best to fortify their defense after a 2024 season where they surrendered the third-most yards per game (399.5) in the NFL and third-most points (29.5). 

Although free agency starts on March 12, Bosa doesn’t have to wait until then to sign with a team. Since he was released, he’ll be free to sign with anyone as soon as March 6.