Nick Bosa Reveals his Thoughts on Playing with Joey Bosa

So far, both Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have been steady in quieting the noise around Joey Bosa being an option for the San Francisco 49ers. Shanahan was the latest to pour cold water on the idea. However, according to Nick Bosa, the 49ers' lack of interest has not phased his brother Joey Bosa. Nick said that his brother is currently more focused on his golf game than football.

The San Francisco 49ers and Joey Bosa do not appear close on a contract

This is the heart of the offseason, and Joey Bosa does not have a team to attend OTAs. He is surely still working out, but if he does not have a playbook to study, it is hard to knock him for spending this time on his golf game.

At the same time, that might be the attitude that is causing Bosa to be on the free agent market. Bosa has a long track record of injuries and does not have the fastest track record of returning from them.

After he hit 10.5 sacks in 2021, he got hurt often during the next two years and recorded just 14 sacks over the past four years. He suffered the majority of his injuries in 2022 and 2023, but has not quite looked like the same player in 2024 and 2025. So, while it is a good time for Bosa to work on his golf game, perhaps the 49ers would have been more interested if they heard that Bosa was focused on getting himself back to his prime playing shape.

Still, despite the head coach and General Manager throwing the idea to the side and the brother of the free agent saying that it is not something on his mind, it is likely not going to end the speculation going through training camp.

Even in an older and less motivated version of Bosa, he remains one of the better free agents available at his position. More than that, the 49ers are not going to be set at the position until they either add a new name, or see a healthy Mykel Williams and a complementary Romello Height. Both of those options provide questions right now.

So, Bosa will need a home, and it does look like the 49ers need an edge rusher. However, that will not happen until training camp, when they get to see Williams and Height up close.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/49ers/onsi as Nick Bosa Reveals his Thoughts on Playing with Joey Bosa.

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This story was originally published May 31, 2026 at 6:00 AM.