This could be the end of the road for Joey Bosa and the Los Angeles Chargers. The star pass rusher was once again hampered by injuries in 2024, will be 30 this season, and carries a 2025 cap hit of $36.4 million. With these factors in play, the Chargers could possibly release Bosa this offseason. One NFL insider thinks that is the “likely outcome.”
Chargers are “likely” to release Joey Bosa this offseason
ESPN’s Dan Graziano recently evaluated the Chargers’ situation with Bosa, indicating that the veteran pass-rusher being released is likely to happen:
“The people I talk to think that’s the likely outcome, but they thought the same thing last year, and Bosa and the Chargers were able to get a deal done to keep him there,” Graziano wrote. “He’s scheduled to make $25.36 million this season, but nearly half of that comes in the form of a $12.36 million roster bonus due next month. So while none of his 2025 money is guaranteed, the Chargers would obviously want to decide by the time they have to pay that roster bonus.”
Bosa played in 14 games last season, totaling 22 combined tackles, five tackles for loss, and 5.0 sacks en route to the fifth Pro Bowl selection of his career. His 14 games played were Bosa’s highest total since 2021 when he played in all 16 games. Since then, Bosa has missed 23 games due to injuries across the last three seasons.
His injuries, declining performance, and inflated salary could prompt the Chargers to release Bosa this offseason.
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What would the Chargers gain from releasing Bosa?
According to Spotrac, the Chargers could cut Bosa to create $25.3 million in salary cap space while incurring an $11.11 million dead cap hit. Such a move would significantly increase the Bolts’ spending power in the offseason.
However, Los Angeles isn’t necessarily hard-pressed to create money this offseason. They are projected to have $63.4 million in cap space, which ranks fifth-most in the league. General manager Joe Hortiz will have plenty of money to spend to upgrade the roster.
Cutting Bosa, however, would not necessarily rule out him playing for LA in 2025. He could be released from his current contract and then sign a new, lower-salary deal to stay with the Chargers, if that is what both parties desire. However, it seems likely that, if the Chargers do release Bosa, it would signal the end of an era.
