The Chargers released star edge rusher Joey Bosa, the team announced Wednesday, cutting ties with their longest-tenured player before he was due to collect a $12.36-million bonus.

Bosa, 29, was drafted third overall in 2016 when the Chargers were in San Diego. He announced his presence as a game-wrecking force as the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year and joined Hall of Fame linebacker Junior Seau as the only Chargers defenders to be selected to four Pro Bowls in their first five seasons. But injuries derailed Bosa’s career in the last three seasons.

Battling groin, foot and hip injuries, Bosa appeared in just 29 of 52 regular-season and playoff games in the last three years with 14 sacks. After nine starts, five sacks and 22 tackles last season, Bosa commanded more than $36 million of the Chargers’ salary cap in 2025, the largest cap hit for any edge rusher in the league, according to Overthecap.com.

Already with the fifth-most cap space in the league, the Chargers will save $25.36 million by releasing Bosa.

Bosa, who did not speak to local reporters after the season ended, restructured his contract before last season to take a pay cut. Approaching his eighth season, Bosa said he wanted to prioritize winning with the team that drafted him over making more money. His decision, along with a similar agreement from fellow edge rusher Khalil Mack, helped the franchise keep the two veteran defenders together for the first year under coach Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.

The Chargers surged to the playoffs — their third postseason appearance during Bosa’s tenure — behind the league’s best scoring defense but lost in the wild-card round to the Houston Texans.