The San Francisco 49ers remain without one of their premier players despite being only days away from kicking off their first game of the 2023 NFL regular season.
Defensive end Nick Bosa, the reigning defensive player of the year, did not report for training camp this summer and is still away from the team amid a contract dispute. Bosa’s status for Week 1 appears dependent on whether he and the 49ers can agree to a contract extension before the team travels to play the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 10.
Will Bosa be in a 49ers uniform this season? And what could his lucrative extension look like? Here’s what we know.
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Is Bosa Going to Be Traded?
The short answer? No.
During a press conference Wednesday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and General Manager John Lynch were both adamant that Bosa will not be traded from the franchise.
“No, I feel pretty strongly, and I think everyone would agree with that,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan admitted that the contract dispute has gone on longer than he would have thought. The seventh-year head coach said he is hoping the deal gets done and noted that the team and Bosa’s representatives are working “tirelessly” to resolve the situation sooner rather than later.
After Shanahan spoke, Lynch was asked if there was even a small percentage of a chance that he would consider moving Bosa.
“No,” he said. “Real simple.”
Lynch said there were no updates on Bosa’s contract as of Wednesday. The Pro Football Hall of Fame safety did say there has been good communication with Bosa’s agent, Brian Ayrault.
Now that the 49ers brain trust has thrown some cold water on trade rumors, it begs the question: Why would San Francisco even want to trade their 25-year-old star? Bosa is a three-time Pro Bowler through four NFL seasons. Last year, he led the league with 18.5 sacks on his way to All-Pro honors. That’s not the type of player NFL teams usually trade away.
Still, if the 49ers didn’t believe a deal was going to get done this season, they might not want to risk losing Bosa in free agency next offseason without adequate compensation. This wouldn’t be the first time a team traded a player it wanted to keep.
The 49ers seem to think they are close to a deal, however, and hypothetical trade discussions seem all but over.
Why Is Bosa Holding Out?
Bosa, the former No. 2 overall pick out of Ohio State, is entering the fifth and final season of his rookie contract. Translation: He is about to get a big payday that places him among the highest-paid players in the league.
But that hasn’t happened yet, so the pass rusher remains away from the team.
Lynch is not a fan of having one of San Francisco’s best players absent, he said last month, but he understands the situation and is optimistic about getting a deal done. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero said on radio’s Rich Eisen Show earlier this month that Bosa and the 49ers have a “mutual goal” of getting the contract worked out before the regular season begins.
Shanahan said Wednesday that the 49ers are prepared to play without Bosa in Week 1, but he hopes that doesn’t end up being the case.
“Yeah, I can imagine anything,” Shanahan said about Bosa missing the start of the season. “Doesn’t mean I like that picture. Of course not…. So hopefully we can come to terms soon and get him here as fast as possible.”
What Could Bosa’s Contract Look Like?
Multiple reports indicate that Bosa wants a significant raise on his next contract that would place him among the highest-paid players in NFL history.
Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald is currently the highest-paid defensive player in the league, based on annual average value. Donald makes $31.67 million a season in his current deal, good for 16th-highest overall in the league. Another figure Bosa may have in mind is Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt’s $80 million guaranteed at signing, the highest of any defender.
Whatever the final numbers end up being, Bosa’s new contract is going to be significant.
“He’s a special player, he’s going to get a special contract,” Lynch said last week on San Francisco radio station KNBR. “I can tell you that. We’re getting closer, and we’re eager to bring this to a close.”