There's one extremely logical destination for Joey Bosa to land after he was released by the Los Angeles Chargers Wednesday evening. Bosa's younger brother, Nick, wreaks havoc for the San Francisco 49ers. The Bosa brothers reuniting in the Bay Area is the most likely outcome. Even their mother is pushing for it.

If big brother doesn't wind up in Santa Clara, the Cincinnati Bengals should have good reason to pursue his services.   

The first being the quarterback.

Joe Burrow's connection to Joey Bosa

Joe Burrow was just a true freshman at Ohio State in 2015, the last year Bosa played for the Buckeyes. The two didn't have a ton of time to start a friendship, but Burrow and Nick Bosa did. The two were close friends during their two years in Columbus together along with Sam Hubbard. Since then, all of them have spent time together in various offseasons. 

pic.twitter.com/AD84e85Q1l

— John Sheeran (@John__Sheeran) March 6, 2025

Hubbard himself has now retired from the NFL, and the Bengals will look to fill his roster spot. Bosa would make sense not only to give Burrow a teammate he intimately knows again, but the logistics also track here.

Bosa is now a street free agent, meaning he can be signed immediately even before free agency begins next week. Signing him would also not count against the compensatory draft pick formula. His previous contract with the Chargers being terminated means interested clubs can approach him about a new deal entirely, and since he was released with one year left on his deal, teams know he won't be able to command as much as he was previously earning.

Bosa turns 30 years old in July and his 14 games played last season equaled the same number of games he played the previous two seasons combined. Injuries have really hindered the back-half of his career since signing, at the time, the largest contract for a defensive player back in 2020. His last year eclipsing 10 sacks and 40 pressures was 2021 when he posted 10.5 and 69, respectively.

Still, when healthy, the former third-overall pick is still very much worthy of a roster spot. It's just about finding the right place to get the most out of him. 

Why the Bengals would pursue Bosa

Outside of San Fran, Cincinnati looks like the best landing spot all things considered. He'd have an opportunity to play real snaps for a team looking to spend on its defensive line. He'd be back in Ohio where helped the Buckeyes win their first College Football Playoff National Championship over a decade ago, and he'd be in the same locker room again with his good friend Burrow. 

The Bengals have brought in former early-round draft picks deep into their careers many a time before. Eli Apple, Riley Reiff, and Xavier Su'a-Filo are just recent examples. The more connections you can make, whether it be friendships or geographical, the better the case for it to happen. Bosa has both. 

Like with any free agent signing, the price has to be right. The Bengals shouldn't spend more on Bosa than they were scheduled to spend on Hubbard if they were to keep him around. The five-time Pro Bowl pass rusher may not be looking for the biggest pay day anyways after earning more than $140 million from his nine years with the Chargers. 

Cincinnati bringing Bosa back to the Buckeye State makes total sense as a value signing. If he doesn't do what's expected and sign with the Niners, don't be surprised if the Bengals have interest.  

NFC team did the Bengals a huge favor by adding another pass-rushing defensive tackle to the free agent market

Another variable for Cincinnati to account for in free agency.