Last night, it was announced that five-time pro bowler Joey Bosa was released by the Los Angeles Chargers. A decision that was far from a surprise, given Bosa’s injury history and it saved the Chargers nearly $24 million against the 2025 salary cap.
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Bosa signed a record-breaking five-year, $135 million contract extension with Los Angeles ahead of the 2020 season, and while he’s been mostly productive at getting after the passer when he’s on the field, staying healthy has seemed virtually impossible. He has played in all 16 games just once in the last five seasons, which came back in 2021, the last time he recorded double-digit sacks.
However, Bosa did stay relatively healthy this past season, playing in 14 games and making the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career, but the stats weren’t exactly eye-popping. He recorded just five sacks to go along with five tackles for loss and 13 quarterback hits.
Entering his age-30 season, the days of wondering if Joey Bosa can be an elite pass rusher — even when at 100% — are in the rearview. He’s nowhere close to what he once was at the beginning of his career, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing for a team like the Falcons, who are strapped for cash this offseason and really just need capable bodies that can provide some level of production when it comes to getting after the passer. The Falcons finished with the second fewest sacks in the league last year, a trend that’s gone on for nearly two decades in Atlanta.
From all of the reports coming out of the NFL Combine, defense will be the sole focus for Terry Fontenot and Raheem Morris this offseason, particularly the pass rush. But a couple of rookies won’t be able to come in and flip the script by themselves. Atlanta has to add several bodies, through free agency and the draft, and Joey Bosa could be a relatively inexpensive gamble that offers a much-needed veteran presence at the position as well as some upside if he can finally stay healthy.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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