Chargers Star Identified as Likely Cap Casualty Before the 2025 Offseason

The Los Angeles Chargers had a solid first season under Jim Harbaugh and Joe Hortiz. They finished with an 11-6 record and secured a postseason berth.

They were beaten 32-12 by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round. This roster has some work to do and will look different in 2025.

Offseason rumors and speculation have started flying. Bleacher Report's NFL Scouting Department released an article discussing potential cap casualties for all 32 teams on the team. LB Joey Bosa was the player they listed for the Chargers.

Joey Bosa Emerges as Rumored Chargers Cut Candidate

They wrote, "Cutting Joey Bosa might not be the best or most popular move, but it's going to have to be a consideration. The 29-year-old put together his healthiest season in three years, but he wasn't the dominant pass-rusher he once was. He only accumulated five sacks in 14 games and registered a career-low 12.5 pressure percentage, per Sports Info Solutions. It's hard to justify paying him over $35 million for that kind of production."

Bosa was the third overall pick by the Chargers in the 2016 NFL Draft and has been there for the past nine years. Injuries hit him hard from 2022-2023, limiting him to 14 games in that stretch.

He was able to play 14 games in 2024, but his production took a dip, finishing with just five sacks.

The Ohio State product hasn't had a double-digit sack season since 2021. According to Spotrac, Bosa has a massive $36 million cap hit for 2025. That's a big number for a player whose best days look behind him.

If the Chargers decided to cut Bosa, they would only get hit with an $11 million dead cap hit and would create $25 million in cap space.

For a roster that needs more juice on offense, getting that type of money could be huge in regard to adding more talent.

Prior to the start of this season, Bosa took a pay cut from $22 million to $15 million. The odds aren't high that he'll take another pay cut. Los Angeles could look to go down that route again but could easily decide to release Bosa and take the extra money for free agency.

This is definitely a situation to watch over the offseason.

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