All offseason, the San Francisco 49ers have been in the speculation mill regarding free agent pass rusher Joey Bosa. It would be an ideal scenario for the veteran, as it would allow him to play with his young brother, Nick Bosa, and the Niners do need pass rush depth.
However, no move has materialized for the older Bosa, whether it’s the Niners or another team. Despite the speculation on his future, the veteran pass rusher showed last season with the Buffalo Bills that he has plenty left in the tank.
During the 2025 season, the former Bills pass rusher played 563 snaps, leading to a 79.3 overall PFF defensive grade. He generated 47 total pressures as a pass rusher, including five sacks, 30 hurries, and 12 hits. Against the run, he recorded 22 solo tackles while forcing five fumbles on the season.
Christopher Kline of FanSided is the latest to predict the older Bosa signing with the Niners at some point.
“Another obvious landing spot,” Kline wrote in a July 6 article. “The Niners need help on the edge, and Bosa is only a year removed from his fifth Pro Bowl nod. He started 15 games for the Bills in 2025, picking up five sacks and an NFL-leading five forced fumbles. He hit the quarterback 16 times. He can still apply relentless pressure.”
San Francisco 49ers Make Sense for Joey Bosa
Moreover, while Bosa isn’t the player he once was, Kline believes he would be ideal as a supporting-cast edge rusher rather than a starter.
“Bosa’s services are not in demand like they once were, clearly, but as a supplementary piece next to Nick Bosa — not to mention other high-profile pass rushers like Fred Warner and 2025 first-round pick Mykel Williams — the older Bosa brother can still render a significant impact,” Kline added in his article.
“Bosa occupies arguably the weakest position on the Niners’ defensive line, so there are reasons beyond the sentimental to make this happen. San Francisco has a real chance to contend in the NFC, which feels totally wide open yet again.”
Does Joey Bosa Still Want to Play Football?
Recently, NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed that the player might be leaning toward retirement. Despite that update, Niners beat reporter for SI, Grant Cohn, believes this is a negotiating tactic by the former Los Angeles Chargers star rather than a genuine consideration of retirement.
“Doesn’t this feel like a negotiating tactic?” Cohn said in a June 26 video on his YouTube channel. “It also feels like stalling, man. If I were 30, I don’t know. I didn’t play football. I probably wouldn’t want to do training camp either. I’d probably prefer to play golf.
“Also, with these seasons getting so long, if I already had $100 million, maybe I’d be cool to do the Philip Rivers thing where you just sort of slide in, wait around, survey the landscape, pick a team that is good, and then join that team as opposed to trying to figure out which team’s going to be good in June, what team this season, months from now, is going to be good. Getting it wrong and they’re wasting your time.”
Joey Bosa Receives Strong 49ers Take Before Training Camp