Speaking on his podcast this week, Schefter was asked about the long-rumored possibility of Bosa joining the San Francisco 49ers to play alongside his brother Nick, and his answer cast serious doubt on the veteran's future.
"It is more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down," Schefter said. "Now, again, could a situation like the 49ers come along that entices him enough to come out and play again? Yeah, absolutely. We saw it happen last year with Philip Rivers, so you never know when a player is fully done and when he's not done. But the fact of the matter is, I think if the Niners wanted to pair those two together, it probably would have happened already. I think if Joey Bosa wanted to play football, it probably would have happened already."
The Golf Course Tell
Schefter's comments fit with a detail that surfaced earlier this offseason.
In May, Nick Bosa cast doubt on his older brother playing in 2026, noting that Joey was not thinking too much about football while working on his golf game.
That remark, initially treated as a brotherly jab, now looks like it should have been taken more seriously.
𝗥𝗨𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗦: It is “more likely than not” that Joey Bosa has played his last down and will end up retiring, per @AdamSchefter
— JPA (@jasrifootball) June 24, 2026
“It is more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down. Now again, could a situation like the 49ers come along, that entices him… pic.twitter.com/5NNNeQ0nYL
The 49ers connection has been talked about for years, and the NFL world expected it to finally materialize in 2026 given San Francisco's need at edge rusher.
But general manager John Lynch made clear that money was the roadblock.
"I know Mama Bosa would love that, but I don't know if we can afford him," Lynch said in April.
A Productive but Diminished Career
Bosa was the third overall pick by the then-San Diego Chargers in 2016 and won Defensive Rookie of the Year, going on to make five Pro Bowls across nine seasons in Los Angeles.
He signed a one-year deal with the Buffalo Bills last offseason and, across 15 games in 2025, recorded five sacks and a league-leading five forced fumbles, along with 47 total pressures per Pro Football Focus.
His production has slipped, though, with only one sack in the second half of the season and no sacks during Buffalo's postseason run.
Will Joey Bosa play in the NFL again? pic.twitter.com/0gVrwvjhi3
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 24, 2026
He has 77 career sacks across 122 games.
Bosa turns 31 in July, but his lengthy injury history, having missed four or more games in five of his first eight seasons, makes him an older 31 than most players his age and a risk for any team that signs him.
The Bears and Bills have also been floated as potential fits, but as Schefter's comments suggest, the more realistic outcome is that we have already seen the last of Joey Bosa in the NFL.
