The defensive line was one of the top positional priorities for the Kansas City Chiefs this offseason. But even after investing two of their first three picks in the group at the NFL Draft, there’s still a feeling that the Chiefs could use some extra depth there, particularly at edge.
The addition of a veteran free agent edge rusher has felt like a likely option for the Chiefs, but one of their potential targets could potentially take himself off the board: Joey Bosa.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, the 10-year NFL veteran, who started his career with the Los Angeles Chargers and was most recently with the Buffalo Bills, could be retiring.
The pickings were already slim, but the Chiefs' hopes for any veteran help at defensive end keep disappearing.
"It is more likely than not that Joey Bosa has played his last NFL down," Schefter said. “I think if Joey Bosa wanted to play football, it probably would have happened already.”
Adam Schefter says former Chargers EDGE Joey Bosa may be done in the NFL pic.twitter.com/Sxgq7zrRVv
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) June 24, 2026
The almost 31-year-old Bosa has 77 career sacks in 122 games played. His first nine seasons were with the Chargers before he joined the Bills last year. Bosa had five sacks in Buffalo, including one against the Chiefs in Week 8,
Bosa had been most closely linked with the San Francisco 49ers and a reunion with his brother, Nick, who has spent his entire career with the team. He might not have been Kansas City’s primary target, but as one of the top free agent edges available, he was still a potential option the Chiefs might have pursued.
If Bosa does indeed retire, he’ll be the second big-name veteran to go off the table after Cam Jordan, a player who flirted with a move to KC and seemed like a good fit, decided to re-sign with the New Orleans Saints a fortnight ago.
That means if the Chiefs still want to bring in a veteran pass rusher, they’ll face a smaller pool of players to choose from and potentially increased competition to secure their services too.
The 49ers might have missed out on Bosa, so does that mean San Francisco could more aggressively pursue someone like Dawuane Smoot or old Chiefs friend Emmanuel Ogbah, players that Kansas City might also be chasing?
Von Miller and Jadeveon Clowney are both available too, but their demand and price tag could increase beyond what KC might be willing to pay if Bosa decides to hang up his cleats.
This late in free agency, none of the players available are true needle movers. Players become free agents for a reason, and they stay free agents for another. But it still feels like the Chiefs need some extra hands somewhere, and a veteran signing is the only way to add them. Now, that pool of players available has grown even smaller.
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