The Chargers on Wednesday released Joey Bosa, making the veteran edge rusher a free agent just before the start of the 2025 New League Year.

The move is certainly a tough one for the team and Chargers General Manager Joe Hortiz, who said last week at the 2025 NFL Combine that he had the utmost respect for Bosa.

According to Over the Cap, the Bolts will save roughly $25 million on their 2025 salary cap after releasing Bosa. This brings their current projected cap space to around $91 million.

The 2016 No. 3 overall pick recorded double-digit sacks in four of his first six seasons in the league, including 19 sacks in his first 20 career games. That helped him win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

But he's dealt with a myriad of injuries over the past three seasons including groin, foot and back issues.

Those ailments limited him to just 28 total games and 14.0 total sacks since the start of the 2022 season.

To be sure, Bosa's work ethic and resolve should be commended. He told reporters this fall that the pain from an early-season back injury meant he could hardly walk or sleep.

Yet he battled back and gave the Chargers everything he could on the way to a playoff berth.

So, what does his departure mean for the Chargers going forward?

The Bolts edge rusher room featured Khalil Mack, Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu and Bud Dupree this past season.

Tuipulotu and Dupree remain under contract, but Mack is a pending free agent. If both Mack and Bosa aren't here in 2025, the position group will look vastly different.

But if Mack returns, that keeps a vital piece on the field and in the locker room.

Either way, Bosa's release means a fresh start for both a player who made five Pro Bowls and ranks second in team history with 72.0 career sacks.

And it indicates that the Chargers could possibly add to that group in either free agency or the draft this offseason, but only time will tell.