49ers' Nick Bosa, Kyle Shanahan address Joey Bosa rumors

Throughout the offseason, stories have linked free-agent defensive end Joey Bosa with the San Francisco 49ers. That's understandable, as the 49ers already employ star pass-rusher Nick Bosa.

While speaking with reporters on Thursday, Nick Bosa was asked if the 49ers could sign his brother at any point before training-camp practices get underway. 

Joey Bosa not yet ready to sign with 49ers, any team?

"I think he's working on his golf game," Nick Bosa said about Joey, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner and David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone. "So, I don't think he's thinking too much about football."

Most recently, Joey Bosa featured for the Buffalo Bills this past campaign. While the 30-year-old may no longer be the force he was in his physical prime, he tallied five sacks, five forced fumbles, 29 total tackles (17 solo) and two passes defended over 15 regular-season games. One would think a win-now team such as the Niners could use that type of production. 

According to ESPN stats, the 49ers finished the 2025 season ranked last in the league with a total of 20 team sacks. 

Kyle Shanahan would "love" to have Joey Bosa? 

"I love signing good players," head coach Kyle Shanahan said when asked about Joey Bosa, per the 49ers' website. "But I mean, my kids do Instagram and look at your guys’ stuff, so they ask me that all the time too. Not hearing about all that stuff much. I know I look at our team as kind of we have our team and anyone else that we can figure out to bring, especially someone like that, that’d be awesome. But, that stuff’s not always possible."

Meanwhile, Nick Bosa is coming off the season-ending ACL tear he suffered on Sept. 21 of last year. On Thursday, he said he is "pretty far along" in his recovery. 

"[I'm] out on the field doing a lot of stuff, trying to just take it slow because I tend to push things quicker," Nick Bosa added. "I got injured pretty early last year, so there's plenty of time for me to really kind of lay the groundwork to be ready for a long season. It's going really well and I plan on being ready."

One wonders if Nick Bosa and Joey Bosa will both be featuring for the 49ers when San Francisco opens the 2026 season with a matchup against the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne this coming September.