49ers Unlikely to Sign Joey Bosa as He's Leaning Toward Retirement

We'll see if he changes his mind.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Don't expect the 49ers to sign Joey Bosa any time soon.

That's because Bosa currently is working on his golf game, not his pass-rush moves. The 30-year-old pass rusher and older brother of 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa is leaning toward retirement, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"It is more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down," Schefter said. "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. But if the 49ers 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.

TRANSLATION: For the right price, Joey Bosa will play for the 49ers this year, but he probably has no desire to participate in training camp, and might not even want to play the full season.

In addition, the 49ers probably see no reason to have him at training camp, considering he's a veteran who's at the end of his career. Those camp reps need to go to young players such as rookie edge rusher Romello Height.

If Height stays healthy throughout camp and makes a splash during the preseason, the 49ers will see no reason to give Bosa what he wants -- most likely a one-year deal worth no less than $10 million.

But, if Height doesn't make an immediate impact, and the 49ers find themselves winning early in the season and still desperate for an edge rusher to complement Nick Bosa, they just might give Joey a call. Which means he might be a perfect fit for them, because he doesn't seem eager to play a full season, and they don't seem eager to sign him for the full season. When October eventually rolls around, they could have mutual interest.

Or, if the 49ers want to make an even bigger splash, they can forget about Joey Bosa, let him golf at home in Florida, and trade for Maxx Crosby instead. Like Bosa, Crosby probably won't become available until the season. Once he shows he's fully recovered from his meniscus repair, and once the Raiders fall out of contention, which shouldn't take long, they could trade him, and the 49ers reportedly are extremely interested in his services.

The 49ers have plenty of options, even if they aren't options yet.