After nine years with the Los Angeles Chargers franchise, five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa was released this past March ahead of the new league year, thereby saving the team $25.36 million in salary cap space, and is set to start the next chapter of his career with the Buffalo Bills.
Now, it's no secret that the former Ohio State standout was never the most popular player during his days with the Chargers. Perhaps it's due to the fact that he held out of training camp as a rookie after being taken with the third overall pick in 2016. Or maybe it's because he had trouble staying healthy in the final few years of his tenure in LaLa Land.
But whatever the reason, Bosa is being seen as the bad guy in this breakup with the Bolts. And with some comments he made on the difference between Buffalo and Los Angeles ahead of Bills training camp, which officially got underway on Wednesday, he's certainly playing into that narrative.
"I hung out more with teammates in Buffalo in the six weeks I was here than probably my entire career," Bosa told reporters this week.
Joey Bosa: "I hung out more with teammates in Buffalo in the 6 weeks I was here than probably my entire career."
— Joe Marino (@TheJoeMarino) July 23, 2025
We hear a lot about the bond that exists between players in Buffalo & how it's different than most places. Bosa saying that entering his 10th season is eye opening.
Ouch.
Joey Bosa's Chargers villain arc is growing
It's not as if Bosa has played anywhere else, so the "my entire career" portion of that sentence can only be directed at one franchise. To be fair, several players over the years have echoed a similar sentiment. But still, Chargers fans can't be happy hearing this. And some of his former teammates might not take too kindly to the comments either.
But this isn't the first time the Florida native has played the villian since signing his one-year, $12.61 million contract with the Bills.
In his introductory press conference, Bosa noted how thankful he was for his time with the Chargers but followed up with this statement:
"I'm getting old, and I'm ready to win. I believe this team is primed to do that, and I'm just excited to join a winning culture, a football culture, and a football town."
Again, ouch.
Yes, he's right about not winning with the Chargers, as the team only made the playoffs three times in his nine seasons, going 1-3. What's interesting about that, though, is that in two of those years, he missed significant time, appearing in just seven regular-season games in 2018 and only five in 2022.
Bosa's chances of getting back to the postseason with the Bills are obviously quite high. But wouldn't it be entertaining if those former Chargers teammates he apparently never hung out with were there waiting with some bulletin board material?