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Bradley Bozeman’s NFL career is over. The Los Angeles Chargers starting center made it official Monday, announcing his retirement on Instagram after eight seasons in the league.
“This game has given me so much — lessons, lifelong friendships, and memories my family will carry forever,” Bozeman said in his post. “I’ve poured everything I had into this journey, and I walk away grateful and proud.”
The Alabama native won a national championship with the Crimson Tide in 2018 before getting drafted by the Ravens in the sixth round that same year. He’d go on to start 110 games across his career – a solid run for a Day 3 pick.
His final two seasons came in Los Angeles, where things got complicated. Bozeman became one of the team’s most respected voices in the locker room, but his play on the field drew plenty of criticism. The Chargers’ interior line struggled badly, and he took a lot of heat for it.
That criticism seemed to take its toll.
“There’s things that I wish I could take back, obviously, but overall, I feel like I had a solid year. A lot of people don’t think that, but a lot of people aren’t in our room,” Bozeman said after the season while fighting back tears. “… So for me, I’m proud of this year. I’m proud of myself.”
Chargers linebacker Daiyan Henley weighed in on social media after the retirement news broke, highlighting what’s often lost in performance debates.
“Great man battled every season proud teammate,” Henley posted on X. “With all that’s goin on in the world I hope we celebrate his retirement for the right reasons. Seeing how critical mental health can be I wish my dog a true happy retirement. congrats on a career that spanned over 8 seasons.”
From a roster perspective, the timing works out for both sides. Bozeman had a year remaining on the two-year, $6.5 million deal he signed last offseason, but there wasn’t any guaranteed money left. His $6.935 million cap hit for 2026 now comes off the books entirely.
The Chargers were likely bringing in competition regardless – now they’ve got a gaping hole at center with nobody under contract at the position.
Here’s where it gets interesting. L.A. is projected to have the third-most cap space heading into free agency, and Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum is about to hit the market as one of the top available players. General manager Joe Hortiz actually helped draft Linderbaum in the first round back in 2022 when he was still in Baltimore.
The numbers tell the story: Linderbaum ranked second among centers league-wide in pass block win rate at 97.2% last season. Bozeman? He came in 30th at 92.5%. That’s not a minor gap – that’s the difference between elite protection and a liability up the middle.
