Joey Bosa has been one of the faces of the Los Angeles Chargers’ defense since the team drafted him third overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. After nine seasons, the five-time Pro-Bowler will play for a new team for the first time after agreeing to terms with an AFC powerhouse.
Joey Bosa Agrees to 1-Year Deal With Buffalo Bills
Bosa won Defensive Rookie of the Year after collecting 10.5 sacks and 41 tackles in 12 games his first season. He followed that up with 12.5 sacks and 70 tackles en route to his first Pro Bowl selection in 2017. Bosa was selected to the Pro Bowl four more times while with the Chargers, including three straight years from 2019 to 2021.
However, his production has slipped the last three years, with injuries limiting him each season. He missed 12 games in 2022 after requiring surgery for a core muscle injury and totaled just 2.5 sacks. The following year he collected 6.5 sacks before missing the final seven games with a foot sprain.
Bosa played 14 games in 2024 and received his fifth Pro Bowl nod after logging 5.0 sacks, 22 tackles, and 13 quarterback hits. He was an anchor on PFSN’s No. 4-ranked defense and was the final Charger remaining from the team’s time in San Diego.
He now heads to the Buffalo Bills, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting on X, “Five-time Pro-Bowl DE Joey Bosa reached agreement tonight on a one-year, $12.6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills.”
Buffalo has been knocking on the door of a Super Bowl the last five years but has repeatedly run into Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in the playoffs. Bills general manager Brandon Beane thought he fixed that problem by signing Von Miller in 2021, and it looked like a good move early on as Miller collected 8.0 sacks in 11 games in his debut season in Orchard Park, N.Y.
ESPN source: Five-time Pro-Bowl DE Joey Bosa reached agreement tonight on a one-year, $12.6 million deal with the Buffalo Bills. pic.twitter.com/u7R6wdDGRf
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 12, 2025
However, he suffered a knee injury that Thanksgiving and only managed six sacks in 2024. Buffalo’s pass rush hasn’t recovered since Miller’s injury, and the team’s defense regressed to No. 18 in 2024, according to PFSN, after three straight top-seven finishes.
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The team moved on from Miller and locked up its defensive core this offseason, extending defensive end Greg Rousseau and linebacker Terrel Bernard. Rousseau had his best professional season in 2024, totaling 8.0 sacks, 53 tackles, and 24 quarterback hits. He recently signed a four-year, $80 million extension and could take another step forward playing opposite Bosa.
The Bills are on the edge of a championship, and Bosa is looking for a deep postseason run before he hangs it up. He’s entering a well-established defense that needs pass rush help. Sounds like a perfect match.
Bosa’s Fit in Buffalo
Considering Bosa should provide an immediate boost to Buffalo’s defense at an affordable cost without the fear of a long-term commitment like with Miller’s deal, this move could be viewed as a big win for both parties.
As a result, PFSN’s Stats and Insights team graded the signing as an A, “no-brainer at this value” in PFSN’s Top 121 NFL Free Agent Rankings.
“Joey Bosa isn’t an elite pass rusher anymore,” PFSN analyst Sterling Xie said. “But he won’t have to carry a three-down workload in Buffalo, and the Bills desperately need options to fix their bottom-10 pass rush from 2024. For an affordable one-year deal, this is a great marriage for both player and team.”
While Bosa is not necessarily the all-star defensive wrecking ball he was in his prime (55+ pressures in five of his first six seasons and 65+ in three of them), he has still provided solid value when available and healthy.
Over the last two seasons, he has recorded a pressure on 11.8% of his pass-rushing snaps. That would rank third on Buffalo during that stretch, behind only Rousseau (15.0%), Ed Oliver (12.7%), and Miller (12.4%). However, Bosa comes at a price roughly 60% of Miller’s AAV on his deal he signed with Buffalo in 2022.