Nick Bosa may have poured cold water on the idea of an immediate family reunion in San Francisco, but he certainly didn’t shut the door on it.
When Bosa met with reporters after Thursday’s practice, the 49ers star edge rusher responded to growing speculation about whether or not his brother, Joey Bosa, would be joining him on the defensive front.
Nick Bosa may have poured cold water on the idea of an immediate family reunion in San Francisco, but he certainly didn’t shut the door on it. AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
When Bosa met with reporters after Thursday’s practice, the 49ers star edge rusher responded to growing speculation about whether or not his brother, Joey Bosa, would be joining him on the defensive front. Getty Images
As Matt Barrows of The Athletic noted, Nick downplayed any serious football discussions involving Joey, saying his older brother is “working on his golf right now” and “not thinking too much about football.”
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The comment was lighthearted, but it landed in the middle of a much louder league-wide conversation.
Joey Bosa (L) and Amanda Kassdikian attends the Celebrity Friends For F1 Miami Grand Prix Race Getty Images for Raising Cane’s
The comment was lighthearted, but it landed in the middle of a much louder league-wide conversation. Getty Images
Like Nick, Joey is a longtime star pass rusher who spent last season playing for the Buffalo Bills. With the second wave of free agency underway, Joey remains one of the top names on the free-agent market.
A topic that’s grown across the league is the idea that the Bosa brothers uniting has started to gain some real momentum.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen has already pointed to San Francisco as a logical landing spot for Joey, citing the roster needs and schematic fit.
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The appeal is obvious on paper. Nick is already under contract and one of the league’s premier edge defenders. Joey is coming off a productive season in Buffalo, where he delivered five sacks, five forced fumbles, and 42 pressures while proving he can still disrupt games when healthy and properly managed.
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But the football fit is only part of the story. The 49ers’ pass rush was one of the league’s worst in 2025, and the numbers back it up, ranking 29th in the NFL with only 173 pressures.
Much of that struggle was due to the younger Bosa suffering a season ending injury, but in theory, adding another Bosa would immediately change the math for opposing offenses.
49ers General Manager John Lynch recently acknowledged the rumor, joking that a reunion would make “Mama Bosa happy,” but added. “But I don’t know if we can afford him.”
San Francisco currently has the most salary cap space in the NFL with $72.5 million available, according to Over the Cap. Spotrac estimates that Joey’s market value would garner a 2-year, $27.5 million deal. So Lynch’s comment now looks like a way to deflect from answering the question directly rather than a financial impossibility.
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For now, the idea of a Bosa brothers reunion remains what it has always been: intriguing, popular, and easy to root for.
For a 49ers team with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations, they can’t just make feel-good moves; they need to add genuine game-changing players, especially ones who can remain available deep into the playoffs.
Time will tell if the front office sees Joey Bosa as that type of player.
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