The Los Angeles Chargers released edge rusher Joey Bosa on Wednesday night, the team announced.
Bosa was the franchise’s longest-tenured active player and the last remaining Charger who played in San Diego. The Chargers will save $25.36 million in cap space with the move, according to Over The Cap, adding to the team’s already considerable room ahead of Monday’s start of free agency.
Bosa, who the Chargers drafted third in 2016, was slated for a 2025 cap hit of more than $36 million, according to Over The Cap. That was an untenable number, and Bosa was never going to play for the Chargers at that figure next season.
There were ultimately three options: Bosa could take a pay cut for the second straight season; the Chargers could release Bosa; or the Chargers could trade Bosa. In the end, the Chargers went with the second option. Bosa took a pay cut of $7 million as part of a contract restructure last offseason, and, as he told The Athletic in January, “I wouldn’t say I felt disrespected or anything because I totally understand. I understood it. But yeah, nobody wants to take less money.”
Now, Bosa will hit free agency for the first time in his career.
“I love Joey the teammate, the competitor,” general manager Joe Hortiz said at the NFL combine last week. “He cares, and he loves the game, and he loves his teammates.”
thx for everything, joey 💙 pic.twitter.com/PY5ilrLZGb
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) March 6, 2025
Bosa, 29, finishes his Chargers career with the second-most sacks in franchise history (72) and five Pro Bowl selections.
He signed a market-setting five-year contract extension ahead of the 2020 season, and at his best, he was one of the elite edge rushers in football. However, Bosa’s body broke down throughout his second contract.
After 10 1/2 sacks in 2021, Bosa played in just 28 of a possible 51 regular-season games from 2022 to 2024. He suffered a torn groin in 2022 that required core surgery. In 2023, his season ended in Week 11 with a foot sprain. Bosa also battled a hamstring injury and a broken toe that year. This past season, Bosa battled through a back/hip injury that ultimately led to sciatic nerve pain in his side.
Bosa had just 14 sacks over those three seasons.
He still played 14 games in 2024, but he was never fully healthy. He dealt with the injury from Week 1 on, and the reality of his football life was coming into view as the season neared its end.
“There’s not a lot of time left for me, probably,” Bosa told The Athletic in January. “It’s coming fast.”
The Chargers now have a lot of work to do in their edge rusher room. Bosa is gone. Khalil Mack is a pending free agent, and he turned 34 in February. The Chargers have two remaining edge rushers from their 2024 active roster: Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree.
The team needs to add at this position, even if they re-sign Mack. The Chargers have the space to do it. They are also projected for 10 draft picks in April.
Coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure thus far has been defined by organizational realignment. Last offseason, the Chargers traded a franchise legend in receiver Keenan Allen. This offseason, they have moved on from another mainstay.
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(Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)
