The number of difference-making pass-rushers available in NFL free agency just shrunk by one, highlighting the Green Bay Packers‘ need to add such a player to the roster before the regular season begins less than three months from now.
Cameron Jordan, an eight-time Pro Bowler, will return for his 16th consecutive season with the New Orleans Saints — a decision he made on Tuesday, June 16. A traditional defensive end who set the edge and got after opposing quarterbacks last year with 10.5 sacks, Jordan fit the profile of the type of player the Packers need in Micah Parsons‘ absence — though, he wasn’t the team’s ideal candidate.
That classification arguably belongs to Joey Bosa, a five-time Pro Bowler in his own right who is six years Jordan’s junior. Bosa most recently played as an outside linebacker for the Buffalo Bills in their 3-4 base defense and is a more natural fit for what new Green Bay defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will run in 2026 than Jordan.
Joey Bosa Could Fill Need for at Least Half Dozen NFL Teams this Summer
GettyFormer Buffalo Bills defensive end Joey Bosa.
League analysts have pushed a potential Bosa-Packers connection for months, as Parsons’ is liable to miss the first four games of the upcoming campaign due to his ACL rehabilitation and its potential to land him on the physically unable to perform [PUP] list to begin the year.
“Bosa would give Green Bay the reliable rotational piece they lack off the edge, while serving as a much-needed insurance policy for [Lukas] Van Ness,” Jacob Infante of Pro Football Network wrote in May.
But the competition around the league for edge defenders in free agency should remain significant, or potentially even intensify, following Jordan’s return to New Orleans. The Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions could all use another situational pass-rusher, and that is just within the NFC North Division alone.
Alex Kennedy of PFN on Monday also named the Bills, Los Angeles Chargers and Washington Commanders as sensible landing spots for Bosa this summer.
“Bosa led the NFL with 5 forced fumbles and also tallied 5 sacks with the Buffalo Bills in 2025,” Kennedy wrote. “Injuries have slowed him down, but he’s still a high-level rotational piece who would benefit a contending team as a late free agent signing.”
Lukas Van Ness Having Excellent Offseason for Packers Thus Far
GettyGreen Bay Packers edge-rusher Lukas Van Ness.
One possible saving grace for Green Bay — if the team can’t/doesn’t ink Bosa, or some other veteran edge-rusher, to a short-term deal in the coming weeks — is the emergence of Van Ness over the course of the preseason.
Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated named the former first-round pick and fourth-year pass-rusher as the MVP of the Packers’ offseason following the conclusion of mandatory minicamp last week.
“There could be no bigger development than the rise of Lukas Van Ness,” Huber wrote. “What’s perhaps crucial to note is Van Ness is a power-first player. That skill-set really isn’t an asset during the non-contact practices of the spring. Instead, Van Ness won in other ways. That should translate to training camp and beyond.”
Packers Should Pounce on 5-Time Pro Bowler After Cameron Jordan Signs with Saints