Free agency is just days away and the legal tampering is even sooner, forcing some teams, like the Chargers, to already be thinking about some of the moves they need to make to really go head first into signing new players for the 2025 season.
That explains the late night news about their decision to release five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa, as he was due a $12.36 million roster bonus on March 12. On top of that, the move clears a significant amount of cap space, giving the Chargers back $25.3 million to utilize this offseason.
The #Chargers have informed star pass-rusher Joey Bosa that he’s being released. One of the best Chargers ever. pic.twitter.com/mFg5sDBe8T
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 6, 2025
Those are just some of the reasons that this decision is unsurprising, even more so since head coach Jim Harbaugh essentially confirmed the team's plans to do so last month.
It was a long time coming, unfortunately, but this creates a lot of opportunity to improve the roster moving forward.
The Chargers do the right thing by Joey Bosa to release him ahead of free agency
It's never easy to see a longtime player leave a team at any point in their career, especially a player of Bosa's caliber. But it was the right thing to do for everyone involved. Not only does this give him a head start in free agency and could mean he will receive an even bigger payday, but it was time for the Chargers to move on.
Since being drafted in 2016, Bosa has become one of the most impactful players on the defense and solidified himself as one of the all-time greats in franchise history. He recorded 343 combined tackles, 87 for a loss, 156 quarterback hits, three passes defended, 17 forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and 72 sacks.
During his nine years in Los Angeles, he also won Defensive Player of the Year and made it to the Pro Bowl five times, rightfully so. He was once a dominant force that opposing quarterbacks feared, but nagging injuries began to keep him off the field more than on, which became more of a problem for the team on game day.
Now, Bosa will have a chance to star fresh with a new team and will have the choice of where he will go next. Let's just hope it's not to a team in the division.