One year ago, Nick Bosa allowed himself to consider the possibility of once again taking the field with his brother.
Now, the 49ers appear to have the resources and the need to make it happen.
The 49ers and Nick Bosa agreed to a contract conversion to create $17.1 million in immediate salary-cap relief. And his brother, Joey Bosa, remains unsigned as an unrestricted free agent.
General manager John Lynch has the cap space to make at least one more significant move to strengthen the 49ers’ roster heading into the 2026 NFL Draft.
The 49ers checked a lot of boxes in the first week of the new league year with the re-signings of kicker Eddy Piñeiro and tight end Jake Tonges, and the additions of wide receiver Mike Evans, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa and linebacker Dre Greenlaw.
That leaves edge rusher as the 49ers’ biggest need. And it is not even close.
And that is where Joey Bosa can help.
The 49ers expect Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams to return to form after their seasons were cut short due to significant knee injuries.
It is not exactly a robust market for defensive ends, and Joey Bosa is at or near the top of a group of available players that includes such veterans as Haason Reddick, Dante Fowler, A.J. Epenesa and Leonard Floyd.
Joey Bosa was available a year ago. Nick Bosa acknowledged he initially got his hopes up after speaking with one unnamed NFL power broker.
Bosa was asked by NBC Sports Bay Area last summer whether there was a time when he thought his brother could sign with the 49ers.
“Maybe for five minutes on the phone with uh … maybe I can’t say that,” he answered. “Maybe for a moment.”
Joey Bosa ended up signing a one-year contract with the Buffalo Bills that paid him $13.2 million. Bosa started all 15 games in which he appeared. He registered five sacks with five forced fumbles.
The 49ers had just 20 sacks in 17 games during the regular season. Clelin Ferrell and Bryce Huff tied for the team lead with four sacks apiece.
Ferrell remains unsigned as a restricted free agent. The 49ers this week released Huff, who announced his retirement at the age of 27 to pursue outside business opportunities.
The Bosa brothers were teammates in 2012 at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Nick made the varsity team as a freshman and started opposite Joey, an Ohio State-bound senior. The team won the state championship.
While both Bosas played at Ohio State, they did not overlap. Joey Bosa declared for the NFL draft after his junior season in 2015, and Nick was a freshman in 2016.
Business is business, as Nick Bosa said a year ago when asked about his brother.
While it is anything but guaranteed that the 49ers will add another Bosa to the mix, it could make good business sense for all sides.