The Chargers are officially entering a new era under Jim Harbaugh's guidance and it starts with the 2024 offseason. Tom Telesco left the team well over next year's salary cap, prompting Harbaugh and new GM Joe Hortiz to make some tough decisions to get under the cap.
One of the potential decisions the Chargers have to make is around Pro Bowl edge rusher Joey Bosa. Bosa has one of the largest cap hits on the team and the Chargers can free up $14.3 million in cap space if they trade or cut him this offseason.
Trading/cutting Mike Williams and Khalil Mack are both far more likely than any kind of Bosa deal as the Chargers will free up more salary-cap space that way. That being said, the Chargers have at least had exploratory trade talks involving Bosa.
With Bosa being somewhat injury-prone the last two years, there are a lot of Chargers fans who would prefer to see the former first-round pick get traded over Khalil Mack. Those fans are not alone, either, as Bosa's own mother has expressed her desire to see Bosa traded to the San Francisco 49ers to play alongside his brother, Nick.
INTERESTING 👀: Nick & Joey Bosa’s mom just posted this on INSTAGRAM: #49ers #Niners pic.twitter.com/OD9RIcWaJK
— 49ers & NFL News 24/7 (@49ersSportsTalk) March 11, 2024
Joey Bosa's mom joins in on Chargers-49ers trade speculation
To be fair, it would be any mother's dream to watch her two sons play on the exact same team at the same time opposite of each other on the defensive line. Nobody can fault Mama Bosa for wanting this to happen, as it would be a truly special moment for the family.
It is worth bringing into question how Joey Bosa feels about this. If his mom is going out of the way to request for this trade to happen then does that mean that Joey Bosa wants out as well? And if he does, will the Chargers be willing to accommodate him?
And what happens if the Chargers trade him to a team that he doesn't necessarily fancy? Bosa has been pretty particular in his career (literally had a contract holdout for his rookie deal) and he may not respond well if he is traded to somewhere that is not preferred. But then again, if that happens, it is no longer the Chargers' problem.
It still seems unlikely that the Chargers trade Bosa, and even more unlikely that the 49ers are the ones trading for him. San Francisco is only $10 million over the salary cap, doesn't have many cap casualties, and needs to create space for an incoming draft class. Sorry, Mama Bosa.