When you hear it out loud you get excited thinking about all the meetings at the quarterback brothers Nick and Joey Bosa could have. They grew up together in Florida, both played at Ohio State, have had storied NFL careers in the same state but have never taken the field together. So are Bosa bookends a good idea now that older brother Joey has been released by the Los Angeles Chargers?
THE PROS:
JOEY HAS HAD A GREAT CAREER AND HE’S ONLY 29: Since he was the third overall pick of the 2016 draft to the then San Diego Chargers, Joey Bosa has been one of the best and most complete edge rushers in the NFL. Older Bosa was the 2016 NFL defensive rookie of the year with 10.5 sacks and because he’s bigger than Nick, he has always been solid against the run. He has four double digit sack seasons and 73 take downs in his career. Joey is a five time Pro Bowl selection and he’s only 29.
THE BOSA’S WANT IT: Mama Bosa Cheryl posted a video on Instagram and wants to start a petition to have her sons play together on the 49ers. Nick was on the Richard Sherman podcast and said Bosa bookends would “Break the NFL” and Joey said last season amid contract talks with the Chargers that playing with Nick “Would be cool.” Bosa’s all aboard.
THE CONS:
AVAILABILITY IS THE BEST ABILITY: No NFL team like injuries. The 49ers really, really don’t like injuries. When Kyle Shanahan teams are healthy, they make deep playoff runs that sometimes end at The Super Bowl. When they’re hurt, they finish 6-11 like they did last season. Not much in between in this era. Joey Bosa isn’t available very much. Last season he played in 14 of 17 games, that’s the good news. The Chargers tried to keep him healthy after he missed 14 games the previous two seasons, so they cut his snaps down in 2024. Bosa only played on 49.6% of the Chargers defensive snaps last season. In comparison, Nick Bosa plays in over 90% of his 49ers snaps when healthy. From 2022 to 2024, Joey Bosa only played in 55% of the Chargers games. He misses games and when he does play, he misses snaps. Not great.
LACK OF PRODUCTION: Missing snaps and games means less production. Bosa has only 14 sacks the last three seasons combined. Last season he had 5 take downs in 14 games. While Pro Football Focus is not perfect, you can see in the below graphics the top 10 edge rushers in 2024 and where Joey Bosa is, 72nd.
TOP 10 EDGE RUSHERS IN 2024 PER PFF: (Overall grade, run grade, pass rush grade, coverage grade) NICK BOSA FOURTH OVERALL
JOEY BOSA WAS THE 72ND RANKED EDGE DEFENDER IN 2024: (SCORES IN THE 60’S ARE NOT GOOD)
MONEY: 49ers GM John Lynch said at the NFL scouting combine a couple weeks ago the team wats to get younger and cheaper. He did says younger, he didn’t say cheaper, but that’s what it means. The 49ers spent a reported $344 million on the roster last season, highest in the NFL. Word is Jed York isn’t happy with his ROI and who could blame him? The team has to pay Brock Purdy this offseason, extend George Kittle and they would like to have a few bucks to sign a few veterans in free agency to fill needy positions. They won’t be day one participants, but they have needs, especially in the trenches. Joey Bosa has made $143 million in his career and he’s only 29. I tell you all the time, it’s always about money, always. This would have to be the rare occasion it’s not. Despite what I’ve laid out, Joey Bosa could get a solid contract from a desperate team banking on his health and skills returning because edge is a premium position and he has name value having produced before. The only way the 49ers would entertain the idea is if Joey wanted badly to play with Nick. I doubt the number could exceed $10 million a year and it would have to be a short term deal with little risk to the 49ers.
Unless Joey Bosa wants to bookend Nick Bosa for half his market value, the Bosa brother will be crushing QBs for different teams next season once again. Maybe Mama Bosa has some say, maybe Joey is fine with the $143 million he’s banked in career earning so far. The taxes in California for the boys are brutal, but the Bosa’s don’t seem like they’re throwing money around, so it’s likely Joey will survive a season of below market pay to play with his younger brother if that’s what he really wants. He could up his value playing opposite Nick for a season and cash the big checks in 2026. Not likely, but it could happen.
From a 49ers perspective, it makes little sense. Lynch just said they want to get younger and cheaper. Joey is neither, he’ll be 30 in July. The 49ers will be trying to have one of their healthy seasons, which often ends in a deep playoff run. Joey isn’t healthy very much. The biggest fear I would have in Bosa bookends though is Joey’s lack of production. 14 sacks in three seasons and only five in 14 games last season. He hasn’t had a double digit sack season since 2021. The PFF numbers bear it out. If his last name wasn’t Bosa, the 49ers wouldn’t likely even take the call. It’s a cool story, but the 49ers don’t need a second Bosa as appealing as it sounds.