ESPN
Mar 11, 2025, 09:28 PM ET
Five-time Pro Bowl defensive end Joey Bosa reached agreement Tuesday night on a one-year, $12.6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The Chargers released the 29-year-old Bosa last Wednesday, cutting ties with their longest-tenured player and one of the best in franchise history.
The No. 3 pick in the 2016 draft, Bosa made an immediate impact for the Chargers. He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year that season, posting 10.5 sacks and 17 tackles for loss. He made four Pro Bowls in his first six seasons and set an NFL record by recording 19 sacks in his first 20 games.
The Chargers rewarded Bosa with a five-year, $135 million contract extension in 2020, a deal that at the time was the richest for a defensive player in NFL history. But injuries have plagued him since; he has played in just 28 games over the past three seasons.
Still, Bosa was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl in 2024 -- albeit as an alternate -- and his 14 games played were his most since 2021. When healthy, he has remained an effective pass rusher; in the Chargers' playoff loss to the Houston Texans in January, he had a team-high six pressures and one sack.
Bosa immediately becomes a starter for the Bills' defensive line, joining defensive end Greg Rousseau, who was signed to a four-year extension on Saturday. The Bills released pass rusher Von Miller on Sunday, saving $8.4 million in cap space. Miller was signed to a six-year deal in the 2022 offseason with the hope that adding an experienced and accomplished pass rusher would help push the Bills defense over the edge.
In adding Bosa, a player who will be 30 when the season begins and has dealt with injuries, there are similarities to the Miller signing, however, the one-year deal is a stark difference. The Bills began addressing the line on Monday by agreeing to a three-year deal with former Los Angeles Rams defensive end Michael Hoecht.
Defensive line was a need for the Bills this offseason with getting after the pass rusher an issue for the defense at times as spotlighted in the AFC Championship loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. General manager Brandon Beane emphasized this offseason that the team believes in building from the lines and has not been shy about investing in the group, while also not spending too much money to forfeit future years.
Bosa is the latest in what has been a busy offseason for the Bills, also agreeing to new extensions with wide receiver Khalil Shakir, linebacker Terrel Bernard and quarterback Josh Allen. The Bills have also agreed to terms with outside free agents wide receiver Joshua Palmer and Hoecht.
For his career, Bosa has totaled 343 tackles, 157 quarterback hits, 87 tackles for loss, 17 forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries in 107 regular-season games. His 72 career sacks rank second in Chargers history behind Leslie O'Neal (105.5).
ESPN's Alaina Getzenberg and Kris Rhim contributed to this report.
