Chris Lim
LOS ANGELES – The charger released linebacker Joey Bosa outside on Wednesday night, cutting connections between the longest-equipped player and the best players in franchise history.
This move will save $25.36 million in cap space.
The 29-year-old Bosa was selected by the charger in the third pick in the 2016 draft. His 72 career sacks rank second in franchise history after Leslie O’Neill (105.5).
Bosa was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 after losing 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles. He soon emerged as one of the league’s best edge rushers, making four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons. He set up an NFL record with 19 sacks in his first 20 games.
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The Chargers paid Bosa on a five-year, $135 million contract extension in 2020. This was the wealthiest deal in the history of the NFL at the time. But the injury has been bothering him ever since. He has played in just 28 games in the past three seasons.
Still, Bosa was chosen as the fifth Pro Bowl in 2024, but as an alternative, his 14 games have been his most played since 2021. With the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, he had team high six pressure and one bag.
Throughout the season, Bosa revealed that he wants to be a charger for the rest of his life, and he cut his pay in the final offseason to stay with the team. Still, he was projected to win a $36.4 million cap hit in 2025. This always seemed unacceptable for a charger with $90.6 million in cap space on his release.
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Now, Bosa is navigating a free agency for the first time in his career. Earlier in the offseason, he discussed the possibility of playing with his younger brother Nick.
“At some point it would be cool,” Bosa said. “I always thought I was the one who would play here and retire here. I don’t think that a lot of people do it on one team. I think it’s cool to achieve, but you never know.”
