Now that the San Francisco 49ers’ biggest area of need has been addressed with the signing of star wide receiver Mike Evans, the team must turn its attention to another glaring hole on its roster: pass-rusher.
San Francisco was the worst team in the NFL last season at getting to the quarterback, logging just 20 sacks — the fewest in the league by a decent margin (the next-closest team, the New York Jets, had 26 sacks).
To make matters worse, defensive end Bryce Huff, who led the team in pressures (46), hurries (30), and QB hits (11), and tied for the team lead with 4 sacks, announced his unexpected retirement days ago at the age of 27.
Fellow edge-rusher Clelin Ferrell, who also tied for the team lead with 4 sacks, is also a free agent, and San Francisco is left scrambling trying to fill the void.
Joey Bosa to the 49ers a Done Deal?
San Francisco was linked to Joey Bosa last offseason after he was released by the San Diego Chargers.
And he seemed to be Bay Area-bound until the Buffalo Bills swooped in at the last minute and offered the former Pro Bowler a $9.5 million contract that thwarted those plans.
But now, thanks to Cheryl Bosa, the mother of both Nick and Joey, fans are convinced the brothers will unite in San Francisco after she shared a photo of both her sons decked out in 49ers gear on Instagram story.
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell also agrees that it’s more likely than not that Joey ends up in San Francisco. He even predicted the Bosa brothers will be playing together next season.
“It’s the obvious call, right?” Barnwell wrote. “The 49ers are a team that’s very comfortable taking aggressive swings on talented players with upside, even if that upside comes with injury concerns. They have an opening for a situational pass-rusher after Bryce Huff retired Thursday, and Clelin Ferrell and Yetur Gross-Matos are free agents.
“Bosa would join up with his brother, Nick, who is recovering from the second torn ACL of his pro career. Joey Bosa would be in a part-time role on a 49ers team that should be heavily rotating its edge rushers throughout the season.”
Nick Bosa May Have Made Joey’s Signing Possible
San Francisco went on a small spending spree when free agency opened, dishing out $30.91 million collectively for Evans ($14.13 million), fan-favorite linebacker Dre Greenlaw ($7.5 million), offensive tackle Vederian Lowe ($4.625 million), cornerback Nate Hobbs ($4 million), and linebacker Luke Gifford ($2.65 million).
Spotrac’s Michael Ginnitti reported on Saturday that Nick agreed to restructure his contract and free up more than $17 million next season, giving the team $42.24 million in cap space, per Over the Cap.
“The #49ers converted $21.4M of Nick Bosa’s salary into signing bonus, clearing $17.1M of 2026 cap space,” Ginnitti wrote. “Bosa is guaranteed $22.7M in 2026, with another $764k locked in next season.”
The small windfall could be used to re-sign perennial Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams, who’s been in a contract stalemate with the 49ers for weeks, or it could be used to tempt Joey to leave Buffalo and join his brother in the Bay Area.
Joey, who had 54 pressures, 36 hurries, 13 QB hits, 5 sacks, and 5 forced fumbles last season, is one of the few big names left on the free-agent market. His pass-rushing prowess would also be a big upgrade for a 49ers team that struggled to get to the quarterback last season.
