The Chargers are letting go of one of their biggest stars.
Los Angeles released defensive end Joey Bosa on Wednesday night after he spent nine years with the team.
Bosa, 29, carried a cap hit of over $36 million for 2025, and the Chargers will save $25.36 million despite a $11.111 million ᴅᴇᴀᴅ money charge this year, according to Over the Cap.
The Ohio State product immediately burst onto the scene as the third over all draft pick in 2016, winning AP Defensive Player of the Year after he recorded 10.5 sacks and 41 tackles.
What followed were five Pro Bowl campaigns, including one in 2024 as the Chargers made the playoffs in Jim Harbaugh’s first year at the helm.
But injuries have held him back over the past few years, including a broken hand in training camp and a glue strain that affected his sciatic nerve.
Over the last three seasons, he suited up in 28 games, starting 18.
“I feel like I’ve been letting my team down missing these games,” Bosa told reporters in October about his injuries. “Letting everybody down, letting coaches down. Letting the organization down. Letting myself down and it just sucks how these years have gone, the last few years.”
“I definitely hit a low point dealing with this, but it’s made me stronger mentally,” he added. “When you’re in it, it feels hopeless sometimes and like, ‘Man, I don’t want to do this.’”
Bosa, with 72 sacks, ranks second in Chargers franchise history.
