Chargers release five-time Pro Bowler Joey Bosa

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers released outside linebacker Joey Bosa on Wednesday night, cutting ties with their longest-tenured player and one of the best in franchise history.

The move saves them $25.36 million in cap space.

Bosa, 29, was selected by the Chargers with the No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft. His 72 career sacks rank second in franchise history behind Leslie O’Neal (105.5).

Bosa was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 after posting 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He quickly emerged as one of the league’s best edge rushers, making four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons. He set an NFL record with 19 sacks in his first 20 games.

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The Chargers rewarded Bosa with a five-year, $135 million contract extension in 2020, a deal that at the time was the richest for a defensive player in NFL history. But injuries have plagued him since; he has played in just 28 games over the past three seasons.

Still, Bosa was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl in 2024, albeit as an alternate, and his 14 games played were his most since 2021. When healthy, he has remained an effective pass rusher; in the Chargers’ playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, he had a team-high six pressures and one sack.

Bosa made it clear throughout the season that he wanted to be a Charger for life, and he took a pay cut last offseason to stay with the team. Still, he was projected to have a $36.4 million cap hit in 2025, which always seemed untenable for the Chargers, who with his release now have $90.6 million in cap space.

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Now, Bosa will navigate free agency for the first time in his career. Earlier in the offseason, he discussed the potential of playing with his younger brother Nick, a five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher with the San Francisco 49ers.

“It’d be cool at some point,” Bosa said. “I always thought of myself being somebody that will play here and retire here, which I think not many people do on one team, and I think it would be a cool thing to accomplish, but you never know.”