The 2025 NFL free agency period doesn’t begin until March 10, when the league’s negotiation window officially opens. But for some veteran stars, like former Los Angeles Chargers superstar edge rusher Joey Bosa, free agency has already begun.
Bosa was released by the Chargers on Wednesday, and he’s free to sign with any team whenever he wants. He’s in a great spot; he can hit the market early, ahead of other free agents, and land the best deal possible.
One team that might be interested in adding Bosa is the Chicago Bears, who lack a pulse opposite Montez Sweat in their pass rush. And according to a recent breakdown of the best landing spots for Bosa in free agency, the Bears were one of five clubs noted.
“We’re not even a full week into the month of March and the Bears have already made some big moves,” CBS Sports’ John Breech wrote. “Not only did they make a trade for interior offensive lineman Jonah Jackson on Tuesday, but they also pulled off a deal by acquiring three-time Pro Bowler Joe Thuney from the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday. If the Bears have proven one thing since hiring Ben Johnson, it’s that they’re going to do everything they can to turn this team into a playoff contender as quickly as possible. One way to do that would be to add Bosa. The Bears already have Montez Sweat, and if they paired him with someone like Bosa, that would give Chicago a formidable pass-rushing duo”
Joey Bosa is a high-risk, high-reward target for the Chicago Bears
The Bears have positioned themselves to pursue top-of-the-market edge rushers in free agency after filling two of their three starting offensive line jobs through trades. Poles doesn’t have as much money to spend as he did at the start of the offseason when Chicago ranked in the top five of salary cap space in the NFL, but he’s still armed with over $50 million at his disposal.
Bosa will undoubtedly demand an annual average salary of close to $20 million per season, which is a big price to pay for a player who’s struggled to stay healthy the last three years. He’s totaled only 14 sacks over the last three seasons because of games missed due to injury, but when he’s been healthy, he remains one of the league’s best pure pass rushers.
It remains to be seen if the Chicago Bears will rank Bosa, who turns 30 this summer, over younger free-agent options like Josh Sweat (Philadelphia Eagles) or Chase Young (New Orleans Saints). At this point, any of the top free-agent pass rushers would be significant upgrades for a Bears team that was led by Montez Sweat with just 5.5 sacks in 2024
