Joey Bosa might stick in AFC West if Los Angeles Chargers cut star defender

Chris Roling | Feb 19, 2025

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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All signs have pointed to the Los Angeles Chargers moving on from Joey Bosa this offseason, whether it’s by cut or trade.

Doing so would save roughly $25 million against the cap and another restructure after Bosa took a pay cut one offseason ago to stick around for Year 1 of the Jim Harbaugh era seems unlikely.

Beyond how the Chargers might say goodbye, the question is where Bosa might end up next in the NFL. There are at least two teams in the AFC West alone who figure to have an interest, with Tyler Brooke of The 33rd team spotlighting the Las Vegas Raiders:

“The Raiders already have a No. 1 pass rusher in Maxx Crosby, and Tyree Wilson is slowly coming along as a running mate. However, the depth could fall off of a cliff this offseason, with key contributors like K'Lavon Chaisson and Malcolm Koonce hitting free agency.”

The Chargers don’t figure to help out an AFC West rival via trade – especially now that Harbaugh’s archnemesis Pete Carroll is at the controls for the Raiders. But Las Vegas would likely have an interest if Bosa slips to the open market.

Don’t sleep on the Kansas City Chiefs, either, should Bosa go to free agency. He might be the type of free agent to take on a lesser contract if it means joining a direct contender to get a shot at a Super Bowl before he retires.

Of course, plenty of teams outside the division would have an interest. The most obvious one making the rounds is the San Francisco 49ers, given his brother Nick plays there, they project as contenders and it would keep him on the West Coast.

Bosa being a hot commodity around the NFL – atop the serious risk of losing Khalil Mack in free agency – is problem No. 1 for the Chargers right now.