NFL free agency rumors hint Joey Bosa's next contract could keep Chargers away

The Los Angeles Chargers might be priced out of Joey Bosa in free agency right away. 

While it was worth wondering if Bosa might return to the Chargers on a cheaper deal after testing the open market, new reporting before free agency certainly puts that idea to rest. 

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that Bosa’s contract number could check in quite high with his next team: 

“A lot of the edge rushers come with injury caveats. Los Angeles Chargers castoff Joey Bosa has connections in places such as San Francisco (Nick Bosa/Gus Bradley), Washington (Anthony Lynn), New Orleans (Brandon Staley) and New England (Mike Vrabel), and there’s a thought that he could get close to $15 million on a one-year deal.”

Not that the Chargers can’t afford $15 million over one season. They have north of $90 million in free cap space as of this writing, in part because cutting Bosa saved roughly $25 million. 

But the objective for Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz and the front office has always been getting Khalil Mack back first and foremost. Doing so could cost them that $25 million or more per year for at least two seasons. 

Still, there’s an interesting wrinkle here – teams like the Chicago Bears seemingly have a big interest in Mack. The Washington Commanders also seem to want Mack in free agency too. 

Should the Chargers get outbid for Mack by one of those teams, or should he simply choose to leave, perhaps they loop back to Bosa on a discount and see if he’s interested. 

The Chargers losing Mack and keeping Bosa would be the unexpected outcome. But there’s always an outside chance of losing both, too, especially if the numbers on both guys are as high as projected.