ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Joey Bosa doesn’t need to be reminded he's getting older.
What he doesn't consider himself is “old news,” as Bosa put it during a news conference Thursday after signing his one-year, $12.6 million contract with the Bills.
Four months shy of turning 30, and coming off three injury-slowed seasons, Bosa arrived in Buffalo hoping to reestablish himself as one of the NFL’s premier pass rushers.
“I’m running out of time here. It’s going fast. I’m in year 10 already coming up, and I just don’t have that many moments left,” Bosa said. “So I have to grasp them while I can. And I think all that’s on my mind is going to be football this year and helping the team.”
That team now is the Bills, following nine seasons with the Chargers.
It was in Southern California where he was named the NFL’s defensive rookie of the year in 2016 and signed one the league’s richest contracts in 2020. The low point was realizing that he, too, can be expendable after being cut by LA last week.
“It’s gone in a blink of an eye,” said Bosa, who said he holds no grudges toward the Chargers.
“But I’m just ready for a clean slate, leave that stuff behind me,” he added. “I know it’s been a tough last few years, but I know when I’m healthy and I’m on the field, I play really well, and I’m at a high level.”
Bosa is being asked to fill the edge-rushing role left open after the Bills released Von Miller on Sunday. Bosa is six years younger than Miller, though both have seen their production dip in recent years.
Bosa’s 72 sacks are tied for 10th most in the league since 2016. But he has just 14 sacks over the past three seasons, during which he was limited to 28 games due to groin, foot, hip and back injuries.
On the plus side, Bosa’s time in the AFC West makes him familiar with facing Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs quarterback has become a Bills nemesis after improving his playoff record to 4-0 against Buffalo following Kansas City’s 32-29 win in the AFC championship game in January.
“I’d like to think that I could help on that front a little bit,” Bosa said.
Bosa said he feels healthy. Thanks to his fiancée, he’s already found a place to live in Buffalo. And he looks forward being back in what he called a “football town,” similar to his college days at Ohio State.
“It’s been nine years, which I’m really thankful for my career and how it’s played out. But I’m ready to experience something different,” Bosa said.
“What I’m going to try to do is really enjoy the moment ... and really try to get back to enjoying football and having fun again,” he added. “I’m getting old and I’m ready to win. And I think this team is primed to do that.”
Joining Bosa in Buffalo is a former Chargers teammate, receiver Joshua Palmer, who signed a three-year contract after spending his first four seasons in LA
“A monster” is how Palmer described Bosa.
Signing with the Bills is a homecoming of sorts for the 25-year-old Palmer, who's from Toronto, about a two-hour drive from Buffalo. His parents still live there.
Palmer was more of a basketball fan growing up, and rooted for the Raptors. And he’s aware that two former Raptors, hall of famers Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady, recently bought a stake in the Bills.
“I’m more interested in Josh,” Palmer said, referring to Bills quarterback and NFL MVP Josh Allen. “But those guys will definitely be good to meet and they’re Toronto greats.”
The Bills also announced signing former Washington Commanders safety Darrick Forrest to a one-year contract. Forrest spent his first four NFL seasons in Washington, where had four interceptions and also played a special teams role in 40 games, including 17 starts.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
