49ers Could Look to Pair Joey Bosa with Brother Nick in Blockbuster Trade
The San Francisco 49ers are coming off a brutal 6-11 season, a shocking fall from grace after their Super Bowl appearance just a year prior. Injuries played a big role, but the team’s biggest issue was a decline in its once-dominant pass rush.
Despite Nick Bosa’s individual improvement—his pass rush win rate rose by 3% in 2024—the 49ers’ overall win rate in that department dropped from 43% to 41%. Bosa simply needs more help off the edge, and the 49ers may be in a unique position to provide him with his ideal running mate: his older brother, Joey Bosa.
Cory Woodroof of USA Today recently predicted that San Francisco could make a blockbuster trade for the Los Angeles Chargers’ star edge rusher this offseason.
“The 49ers need more juice off the edge, and they could look to Nick Bosa’s elder brother as the solution,” Woodroof wrote. “At this point in his career, Joey Bosa would be a much better complementary rusher opposite a superstar.”
The elder Bosa, 29, is a five-time Pro Bowler, including a surprising selection this past season. However, he finished 2024 with just five sacks in 14 games, and his durability has been a concern in recent years.
Joey Bosa is entering the final year of the $135 million contract extension he signed with the Chargers in 2020, making a trade a realistic scenario. The Chargers could free up cap space while adding valuable draft capital, while the 49ers would gain an elite—albeit injury-prone—pass rusher to complement Nick Bosa.
If the 49ers can pull off this move, it could transform their defensive front into one of the NFL’s most feared units once again.
