Joey Bosa is back on the free-agent market, and the market still has reason to look. The five-time Pro Bowler, who finished the 2025 season in Buffalo with five sacks, nine tackles for loss and a league-best five forced fumbles, was named the third-best free agent available by ’s Matt Bowen.
Bosa’s return to prominence comes after a stretch that tested both his body and his reputation. The third overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft was at his best from 2016 to 2021, when he averaged 12.5 sacks, 63 tackles, 16 tackles-for-loss and 28 quarterback hits per 17 games. Injuries then limited him to 14 games from 2022 to 2023, and the Chargers cut him after the 2024 season before he signed a one-year prove-it deal with Buffalo in 2025. He answered with a 74.6 PFF grade, the 29th-best mark among 119 eligible players.
That blend of pedigree, production and durability questions is what makes Bosa such a complicated decision now. He is no longer the player he was at his peak, but he also showed in Buffalo that he can still affect a game in the backfield and finish plays when healthy enough to stay on the field.
That is why several teams could still circle him. The Minnesota Vikings were identified as a possible destination, with the club needing another pass rusher after trading Jonathan Greenard to the Philadelphia Eagles. The San Francisco 49ers were also mentioned, with the need for reliable depth while Nick Bosa recovers from a torn ACL. The Baltimore Ravens were listed too, as they continue to look for another pass rusher after their offseason plans changed.
The question with Joey Bosa is not whether the name still carries weight. It does. The question is whether a team sees a remaining front-line edge rusher, or a shorter-term answer who has to be managed carefully to get the most out of what is left.
