Kyle Shanahan has never been one to make decisions based on sentiment. He’s built his reputation on ruthless pragmatism, prioritizing fit and future over nostalgia and name value. But when a fan movement started buzzing about a potential blockbuster addition to the 49ers’ defense with a literal petition, even he had to stop and consider. The connections were obvious, the upside undeniable. For a moment, it seemed like the stars might align, and two brothers might finally reunite. But in the NFL, decisions aren’t made on hope alone. There was a reason Shanahan hesitated. And when the dust settled, he walked away entirely—leaving one of the offseason’s biggest free-agent battles to another contender.

Yes, we’re referring to Jay Bosa, brother of Nick Bosa, and Cheryl’s son. The very Cheryl who literally started a whirlwind petition hours after the Los Angeles Chargers released her elder son and the team’s linebacker, in a cost-cutting move after a nine-year run—they saved $25.36 million in cap space. Notably, Joey was the team’s longest-tenured player in the team, and one of the best in franchise history with his 72 career sacks only behind Leslie O’Neal (105.5). “BREAKING NEWS: Can we get a petition going on bringing @jbbigbear to the bay #bosabrothers 🐻🐻,” Cheryl had reposted on her Instagram Story at the time. And for a while, it did seem like her dreams would come true.

On March 5, NFL insider Ian Rapoport was first to indicate, “The #Chargers star will have options — joining his brother Nick in SF is one of them.” However, less than a week later, the Buffalo Bills made an unexpected move and scooped up the veteran over the Miami Dolphins, where Bosa’s father played from 1987-1990. And now, as per another update, to Cheryl’s dismay, it appears that Shanahan wasn’t really that interested in her son to begin with…

This week NBC Sports Bay Area’s San Francisco 49ers beat reporter Matt Maiocco appeared on The Rich Eisen Show. While talking about Kyle Shanahan not going all-in for the LB, he claimed, “The problem is they were burned so much with injuries last year. I think it’s why they didn’t overextend for Dre Greenlaw, why they didn’t overextend for Joey Bosa.” For the unversed: Joey Bosa has never been too far from injuries.

In 2018, he injured his foot in training camp, and re-injured it again in Week 1, sidelining him until week 11. Then, in November 2020, he missed two games owing to a concussion in Week 8. Then, just one month later, the veteran suffered another concussion which sidelined him for two more games. It was a similar case during his fourth Pro Bowl appearance in 2021 when he pulled out because of an undisclosed injury. 2022 was the real dent in his playing time. He suffered a groin injury that needed surgery. In 2022 and 2023, he played only 14 games (9 as a starter) and recorded 30 tackles (22 solo), 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 1 defended pass. What’s more?

Unfortunately, Draft Sharks still lists him under ‘Very High Risk’ in their injury tracker, with 78.9% chance of injury in the upcoming season, and 8.7 % chance of injury per game. Bosa is also being projected to miss 3.23 games in 2o25, with his durability at 2.90 out of 5.

As for Shanahan, not just Maiocco, but even Rapoport had some choice words when describing Joey Bosa’s chances. “A big-time addition for the Buffalo Bills last night, kind of out of nowhere. A lot of people were talking about a potential Bosa reunion in San Francisco. It didn’t sound like that got close at all, really, to happening. I know there was a lot of speculation, but it didn’t seem like that was much of a possibility. The Miami Dolphins actually seemed to be the team that made a push as much as anyone,” the insider said while appearing on ‘The Insiders’ on Wednesday morning.

Joey Bosa signs a one-year deal with Bills

Kyle Shanahan and Sean McDermott got into a free agency battle over the linebacker. In the end, the AFC East side won over the NFC West side. It fulfills the void in the Bills after releasing Von Miller. According to Rapoport, Joey Bosa signed a 1-year $12 million deal that could go up to $15.6 million with incentives.

At this price range, it’s a jackpot for the franchise. In 2020, he was the highest paid defensive player of the league, with a 5-year $135 million contract, at an average of $27 million. The current contract is less than half of what he commanded back then. But his share has also gone down based on injuries. It could turn out to be a lottery ticket or a lotto bust.

Based on the current scenarios, Joey Bosa could use the 2025 season to regain his value in the NFL. The Bills need to rise above their ultimate nemesis, the Chiefs. In that context, it may help that on November 29, 2020, Bosa recorded a career-high nine total tackles, including three sacks on quarterback Josh Allen.

The 2016 Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) has to run it back to his prime years. It’s the drive to succeed that can make things work for him. Will that happen? We’ll find out soon.