Last March, the San Francisco 49ers and Joey Bosa came very close. Tim Kawakami of the San Francisco Standard reported the two sides were in “good conversations,” with a moderate deal with incentives taking shape. Niners defensive end Nick Bosa, Joey’s younger brother, thought it might actually happen, “maybe for 5 minutes on the phone.” But then the Buffalo Bills came in with a better offer, and Joey took the money. Now he’s a free agent again, his brother is still in San Francisco, and the question is back. Except now the family angle has packed up a new wrinkle.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco explained, on his mailbag segment this week, why the price gap between what Joey wants and what San Francisco will pay hasn’t closed… and it won’t.

“I wouldn’t close that door until Joey Bosa signed somewhere else, but I don’t see the 49ers at all raising the price that they’re willing to pay for Joey Bosa or any free agent just because they have that salary cap space,” Maiocco said.

Now, the 49ers are currently carrying $67.4 million in available cap space – the highest in the league. In fact, that number is so big that doing nothing with it has become its own story. Maiocco’s point is that San Fran doesn’t operate on sentiment, and a large cap cushion doesn’t change what they think a player is worth. The money is there. The willingness to spend it on Joey Bosa, at his asking price, is not.

Joey has said it would be “cool at some point” to play alongside Nick. There were even reports that Joey was intrigued by the Niners fit this spring. Their mother, Cheryl, has also pushed on social media for the brothers to play together. The most recent push came after Nick’s contract restructure freed up $17.2 million in 2026 cap space for the Niners.

The desire for a reunion has never been the obstacle here. Niners GM/President of football operations, John Lynch, said as much when asked about a potential signing in March.

“I would love to make Mama Bosa happy, but I don’t think we can afford him,” Lynch had said.

That hesitation is about the numbers rather than the name. Bosa posted five sacks in 15 games with Buffalo last season, and five sacks in 14 games with the Los Angeles Chargers the year before. He hasn’t cracked double-digit sacks since 2021, and is now on the wrong side of 30. Maiocco framed the core question plainly:

“What is he capable of at this point in his career?”

And then there’s the price itself. Spotrac’s current projection puts his market value at two years, $27.5 million, with an average of $13.7 million per year. That’s nearly what he made over his entire two-year run with Los Angeles and Buffalo combined ($28.2 million). San Fran’s read, per Maiocco, is that the production no longer justifies the price.

But the door stays open until a team takes a chance on Joey Bosa. EssentiallySports’ Luke Hubbard has identified the Kansas City Chiefs as the best remaining landing spot, given their need for pass rush depth alongside their 2026 second-round pick R. Mason Thomas.

The 49ers may yet revisit this plan. But in the meantime, another veteran has already made a more public case for a spot on San Francisco’s roster. It’s not built on family like the Bosas, but on something this star considers just as personal.

Kyle Van Noy’s case for the Niners

Former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Kyle Van Noy went on the Up and Adams show this month with a pitch directly to the 49ers for signing him.

“I really like to play with my little brother, Fred Warner, with the Niners,” Van Noy said. “I think they got something cooking over there.”

Van Noy and Warner are both BYU products, and their bond goes deeper than a shared alma mater. When Warner was a rookie with San Francisco, Van Noy was the veteran he studied. Warner himself shared this ahead of Super Bowl LIV.

“He was a big film junkie,” Warner said of Van Noy. “That’s where I really learned to study the game.”

Van Noy is 35 and has posted just 2.0 sacks last season. The Seattle Seahawks had reached out to him, but walked out without a deal. Seattle then signed Dante Fowler, which closed the door for Van Noy. On the show, he acknowledged that the market had been slow. He also acknowledged exactly who he’s competing with for San Francisco’s attention.

“I know they love Joey Bosa, because Nick and all that,” Van Noy said. “I get that, but I would love to play with my little brother. That’s my guy.”

Interestingly, Spotrac projects Kyle Van Noy’s 2026 market value to be a one-year, $3.5 million deal. Compared to Joey Bosa’s projected annual $13.7 million, that’s a steal for a veteran depth piece.

The Niners have $67.4 million sitting in cap space, two veterans publicly lobbying to fill a roster need, and a front office that keeps saying the price isn’t right. John Lynch wants to make Mama Bosa happy, but he just doesn’t want to pay for the privilege.