Ex-Bills Edge Rusher Joey Bosa Faces 49ers Speculation After Nick Bosa’s Injury

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Ex-Bills Edge Rusher Joey Bosa Faces 49ers Speculation After Nick Bosa’s Injury

Buffalo Bills edge rusher Joey Bosa. Getty

Nathan Dougherty · HEAVY

Fri, Sep 25, 2026 ·

2 min read

Joey Bosa Named Candidate to Replace His Brother

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported on Friday that the 49ers edge rusher could be out indefinitely, with a stint on the injured reserve a possibility.

"#49ers Pro Bowl DE Nick Bosa suffered a calf injury in practice this week and is expected to miss a few weeks, per me and @AdamSchefter," Rapoport wrote in a post on X. "He's out this week against the #AZCardinals and TBD on whether he lands on IR."

The injury led to speculation that the 49ers could look to sign the other Bosa to help fill the void until his brother is able to return.

" Leonard Floyd should be on the plane to Santa Clara right now and SF should be on the phone with Joey Bosa," wrote 49ers reporter Sterling Bennett in a post on X .

Joey Bosa Could Turn Down the Offer

There had been rampant speculation this offseason that the 49ers would sign the former Bills edge rusher, pairing Joey Bosa with Nick Bosa. But it was not clear if Joey Bosa intended to play at all, with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting that he was considering retirement.

"It is more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down," Schefter said on his podcast . "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 [to the Colts], 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 [Bosa brothers] together, it probably would have happened already," Schefter added. "I think if Joey Bosa wanted to play football, it probably would have happened already."

Joey Bosa had an up-and-down season with the Bills in 2025, making an impact and leading the league in forced fumbles but also suffering some lapses. He struggled in the run game and made some critical mistakes, including a roughing-the-passer call on the game-winning drive for the Denver Broncos in overtime of the divisional-round playoff game.

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