As long as he remained unsigned, veteran defensive end Joey Bosa would stay a plausible free-agent target for the San Francisco 49ers, if for no other reason than to pair him with his younger brother, defensive end Nick Bosa.
Talks of such have gone on for much of the offseason, and even the Bosa brothers' mother pushed for the Niners to ink the longtime Los Angeles Charger so he and Nick Bosa could finally take the field together.
Indeed, given San Francisco's questions in the pass-rush department, it made plenty of sense, although general manager John Lynch repeatedly said it wouldn't be likely.
According to a recent report, however, the likelihood appears even less than what Lynch allowed. And it stems from what Joey Bosa might be viewing for his NFL career going forward.
Joey Bosa apparently isn't interested in returning to the NFL with 49ers
After a modestly successful one-year stint with the Buffalo Bills in 2025 in which he recorded five sacks and five forced fumbles, the 30-year-old Bosa wasn't swiped up in the first and second waves of free agency, and it appeared likely he wouldn't be a pickup target until after the NFL Draft in April.
Still unsigned, it appears as if Bosa is edging much closer to calling it a career rather than finding his next team.
ESPN's Adam Schefter shared how the elder Bosa isn't exactly eager to sign with a new team and might be considering retirement:
It is more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down. Now, again, could a situation like the 49ers come along that entices him enough to come out and play again? Yeah, absolutely. We saw it happen last year with Philip Rivers, so you never know when a player is fully done and when he’s not done. But the fact of the matter is, I think if the Niners wanted to pair those two together, it probably would have happened already. I think if Joey Bosa wanted to play football, it probably would have happened already.
During a separate press conference, Nick Bosa echoed similar sentiments, saying his older brother was "working on his golf game" and not "thinking too much about football."
If all this proves to be true, Joey Bosa's career would come to a close after 10 seasons with him notching 77 sacks and securing five Pro Bowl nods during that span.
Perhaps his sentiments change, although the latest surely seems to indicate any 49ers' hopes of a Bosa-Bosa tandem will remain no more than just wishful thinking.
Add us as a preferred source on Google