Joey Bosa was close to leaving the Los Angeles Chargers last year until the appointment of Jim Harbaugh as the head coach. He stayed back and took a pay cut to experience Harbaugh’s coaching style.
The pay cut trimmed Bosa’s potential income from $22 million to $15 million and four million in sack incentives. Earning less money wasn’t an issue because he got to play another year with Khalil Mack.
Injuries limited his time in 2024. Bosa only played 14 games, recording 22 tackles, 5 sacks, and two pass deflections before the season ended.
Almost a year since then, there have been a lot of changes, and the Chargers might even consider releasing the 5x Pro Bowler to save $25 million in cap space. A recent article by the Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay pointed out that there won’t be any shortage of suitors for Bosa in free agency.
He’s a veteran leader with a proven ability to get after the quarterback—an invaluable asset in the modern game. Even though he’s lost a step and isn’t likely to get back to elite form during his age-30 season, the four-time Pro Bowler should still find a way to play a decent percentage of defensive snaps for a contender seeking some juice on the edge.
Alex Kay wrote
If the Chargers cut Bosa, then his mother, Cheryl, knows the best team that he should play for in 2025. Cheryl Bosa wants the San Francisco 49ers to unite her younger son, with his older brother and 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa in the Bay Area.
49ers should trade Deebo Samuel for Joey Bosa
Even though Bosa is set to hit 30 by the time free agency kicks in, he will command decent money. The 49ers also need to think about quarterback Brock Purdy and his extension. So, how would they add Joey Bosa to their roster?
The solution is in front of their eyes—trade Deebo Samuel to the Chargers with an additional pick for Joey Bosa. Deebo already has one foot out of the door and the Chargers need receivers, and the veteran presence in the locker room would be a welcome bonus for QB Justin Herbert.
It’d be cool [to play with Nick] at some point.
Joey Bosa said in 2024 before extending his stay in LA
The Chargers can afford Samuel easily. They have a cap space of $64.7 million, and they will acquire an additional $20 million from trading Bosa to the 49ers.
Moreover, keeping Samuel would be cheaper as his base salary is $12 million compared to Bosa’s $13 million. The only thing they need to do now is to listen to Mama Cheryl and make the trade happen.
This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.
