Joey Bosa, the NFL’s second highest-paid defensive player, bought a modern home on Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront for $5.8 million.
Through a trust, the Los Angeles Chargers star defensive end picked up the house at 2401 Solar Plaza Drive in the city’s Idlewyld neighborhood, according to records.
Bosa signed a five-year extension with the Chargers last year that pays him $27 million annually, putting him behind only Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, who makes $28 million a year, according to published reports.
The seller of the home is an entity tied to attorney Richard M. Kremen, a DLA Piper shareholder, records show. Kremen focuses on insolvency cases, including Chapter 11 bankruptcies and receiverships, according to the law firm’s website.
Last year, Kremen paid $5.5 million for the five-bedroom, 5,482-square-foot house on Sunset Lake that was built in 2019, records show.
In the latest deal, Bosa was represented by his mother, Cheryl Bosa with Engel & Völkers, and the seller was represented by Tim Elmes with Compass.
Addison Ruff, Elmes’ business partner, said the property was listed on May 5 and spent 139 days on the market. The original listing price was $6.9 million, she said.
“This was the only offer,” Ruff said. “The property is unique in that it has wide water views. You also get amazing sunsets back there. With all the glass, it offers really pretty views.”
Custom built by Dex Homes on a 7,500-square-foot lot, the house features an open floor plan with a wet bar, theater, floating glass staircase, a master suite with a private balcony, two laundry rooms, a three-car garage with car lifts, and an extra kitchen, Ruff said. The backyard has a concrete dock, pool, grill and fire table.
The deal equates to roughly $1,058 a square foot, which is standard for new construction on Fort Lauderdale’s waterfront, Ruff said.
Bosa, the third overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, is a second-generation professional football player with deep ties to South Florida. His father, John Bosa, was drafted in the 1987 first round by the Miami Dolphins. He had a brief three-year career with South Florida’s NFL franchise that was plagued by injuries and underwhelming performances.
Bosa and his brother, Nick, had more success, leading their defensive teams. Both were star players for St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale and Ohio State University, and were drafted in the first round. Nick Bosa plays for the San Francisco 49ers, and like his brother, is a former NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Bosa’s purchase of a Fort Lauderdale waterfront home comes amid other high-profile athletes cashing out of their mansions by the sea. Last month, retired Chicago Bulls icon Scottie Pippen sold his Harbor Beach waterfront estate for $10.5 million after repeated listing attempts the past 12 years.
In August, Brazilian race car champion Hélio Castroneves peeled out of Fort Lauderdale, selling his seven-bedroom home for $6.7 million. Over the summer, ex-Florida Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle skated out of a seven-bedroom waterfront home and sold it for $6 million.