The Nick Bosa holdout is finally over. The San Francisco 49ers agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension Wednesday with the defensive star, making him the highest paid defensive player in the NFL by a wide margin. $122.5 million will be guaranteed.
With a new deal finally in place, Bosa will return to practice with the team this week. He sat out training camp and the entire preseason, however, putting his status for Week 1 in question. Earlier in the summer, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that it would not take long for Bosa to prepare for the season ahead.
“I don’t know if Bosa has ever done a training camp, and he has done pretty good,” Shanahan said last month. “It’s a little different when you’re a defensive lineman. Everybody wants people here, and you want to do that stuff, but it doesn’t affect the team as much from a defensive end standpoint. I have as much confidence in Nick as any player I’ve ever been around in terms of how he prepares and everything. I know they’re going to get it right, both sides, and I’m excited for when I do see him.”
It appears that Shanahan’s words rang true for Bosa at least, as the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year will now make $34 million on average for the next five seasons, far outpacing any defender in the NFL. It could create a problem going forward for the 49ers organization, however.
Though the team will be spared from salary cap issues for now, 2024 could be challenging, as San Francisco must honor a number of high-market contracts for star players like Deebo Samuel, Trent Williams, Arik Armstead and Christian McCaffrey. For now, front office executives have a little wiggle room that they can expand by restructuring existing contracts.
With Bosa back on the roster, the 49ers are now fully prepared for another deep run in the postseason, one season after the team went to the NFC Championship. With quarterback Brock Purdy healthy again, the team has retained all of its major pieces and figures as a very important contender on the West Coast.
