The San Francisco 49ers and Joey Bosa have been a topic of speculation all offseason. Signing the older Bosa to play alongside his young brother, Nick Bosa, would be an outstanding storyline. However, it appears the former Los Angeles Chargers star might be too rich for the Niners.
As a result, there are questions about whether the 49ers want to meet whatever asking salary Joey might want for the upcoming 2026 season. Despite the Niners needing pass rush help to bolster the 20-team sack total from last season, they aren’t willing to overspend.
Because of that, it might leave the door open for another team to sign the veteran free agent, and CBS Sports’ Mike Renner believes that team should be the Detroit Lions, given their pass rush needs.
“I love the fit of the Detroit Lions for a couple of reasons: One, they have the cap space to do it,” Renner said on the June 17 edition of “CBS Sports HQ.” “They can pay him the money he’s probably going to be asking for after finally having a full, healthy season last year out in Buffalo.
“And two, because they don’t have anyone other than Aidan Hutchinson. Obviously, they addressed that in the second round with Derrick Moore out of Michigan, but he’s a second-round rookie. How many second-round rookies come in and make a big impact?”
Lions Don’t Have Much Pass Rushing Depth
Moreover, like San Francisco leaning heavily on Nick, the Lions are relying too much on Aidan Hutchinson to sack the quarterback, and there are many question marks about the depth behind him. As a result, Renner sees Detroit needing to land Joey.
“Outside of Aidan Hutchinson last year, who had triple-digit pressures, no one else on this roster has more than 29 coming into the season, and that was D.J. Wonnum, who did it in a full-time role last year in Carolina.
There’s a reason why he got a veteran minimum deal this offseason. They need another guy, or else everyone’s just going to double and triple-team Aidan Hutchinson, and you’re not going to attack opposing quarterbacks. It was their downfall last year. This roster is too good. It makes a lot of sense.”
49ers Inider Speculates Whethere Joey Bosa Could Retire
Nonetheless, one reason the 49ers might not be pursuing the older Bosa is that his mind might not be on football. Recently, Nick stated that Joey is focused on his golf game, prompting NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco to speculate whether retirement is a possibility for the former Bills pass rusher.
“I still don’t think [the 49ers signing Bosa] is going to happen anytime soon,” Maiocco said in a June 12 video on his YouTube channel. “In fact, I really don’t think it’s going to happen, period.
“Just the way Nick talked about Joey and how he’s more interested in concentrating on his golf game at this point than he is on playing football, it kind of leads me to believe that an NFL veteran who has made so much money playing this sport, if in late May or early June his mind is more on golf than football, there’s a really good chance that he ends up retiring.
“Of course, if a team comes along with a contract offer that blows the socks off, I’m sure he’ll play. But it certainly sounded to me as if there is a chance, a real chance, that Joey Bosa will retire.”
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.
Lions Receive Strong Joey Bosa Take Amid 49ers Speculation