The San Francisco 49ers should be one of the more active teams in free agency this week, as they are projected to have $34.3 million in cap space. After a disappointing 2024 season, San Francisco needs to get younger on both sides of the ball, while finding instant contributors.
One group that the 49ers will look to address in free agency and the NFL draft is the pass rush unit. This past season, San Francisco was ranked 23rd in sacks with 37 – a far cry from what they did in 2023, where they had 48 (eighth-best).
Star pass rusher Nick Bosa led the way with nine sacks, followed by Leonard Floyd with 8.5, but it wasn’t enough in 2024. Luckily enough for the 49ers, a former Pro Bowl defender is available in free agency with ties to Bosa.
On Sunday, Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard reported San Francisco and former Los Angeles Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa are having good conversations and it feels like it's heading towards a deal.
Meanwhile, I've heard Joey Bosa and 49ers are having good conversations and this feels like it's headed toward a deal.
— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) March 9, 2025
Nothing is done, but the Bosa brothers want to be together and probably will get there this year. Which likely means this will be a moderate deal + incentives.
Kawakami adds that nothing is done, but the two brothers want to play with each other. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard the former Chargers pass rusher connected to the 49ers. Last week, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Bosa would have options after getting released, including teaming up with his younger brother in San Francisco.
The #Chargers star will have options — joining his brother Nick in SF is one of them. His release saved the Chargers $25M against the cap. https://t.co/5zeFo8Upye
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2025
The 29-year-old Joey Bosa is coming off an okay season with the Chargers. The veteran pass rusher had 22 combined tackles, 13 quarterback hits, five tackles for loss, five sacks, and two forced fumbles in 14 games.
The last time Bosa played more than 10 games was in 2021 (16), the same year he made the Pro Bowl. He also made the Pro Bowl this season too.
If the 49ers figure out a deal with the former Charger, fans should not expect him to put up the same numbers as Nick. However, adding Joey to the defensive line rotation as a bona fide starter could free up potential one-on-one matchups on the other side for Nick next season.