Wednesday for San Francisco 49ers fans was like Christmas. After a 43-day holdout, star edge rusher and reigning DPOY Nick Bosa and the team agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension, with $122.5 million guaranteed.
The deal is the richest for a defensive player in NFL history and makes Bosa the highest-paid player on the side of the ball in the league. His $34 million average annual value bests that of three-time DPOY Aaron Donald’s $31 million per season.
The move solidifies that Bosa, star linebacker Fred Werner, who signed an extension in 2021 which at the time made him the highest-load off-ball linebacker, has since slipped to third at $19 million per season. And then there’s soon to be extended safety Talanoa Hufanga. Those three makeup the cornerstones of the Niners defense for the foreseeable future.
But it all starts with Bosa and the havoc he wreaks on opposing offenses. In fact, his impact is so strong that on Tuesday Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said his team would still prepare as if Bosa would be there. The future Hall of Fame coach said he’d seen that movie before with his own star edge rusher in T.J. Watt, who held out in 2021, only to sign the week of the opening game and then went out and balled out.
Niners Excited To Have Bosa Back In The Fold
Following Wednesday’s practice, a relieved 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters about the plans for Bosa heading into Sunday.
“We’ll be smart with it and it’ll be based on the next 2 1/2 practices,” Shanahan said.
Shanahan even joked about his star defender’s conditioning, saying Bosa would “have to have a beer belly and be out of shape” to not be available for Sunday’s opener on the banks of the three rivers that surround the Steel City.
What Bosa Means To Niners
When you look around the league there probably isn’t a more impactful player to their team’s total defensive effort than Bosa. The Niners defense, which prides itself on not blitzing a lot, relies on Bosa to win up front, and that opens up favorable matchups for his teammates. Since the Niners made him the No. 2 pick in the 2019 NFL draft the former Ohio State Buckeyes star hasn’t disappointed.
In that time frame, including the playoffs, the team’s record is 43-17 when he plays and 5-10 when he doesn’t. The team’s pressure rate of 32 percent ranks first overall, and when he’s out it dips to 25 percent, second-worst in the league.
Bosa’s 51-game career has seen the elite edge rusher register 43 sacks, including a league-best 18.5 last season when he was named DPOY. He’s also added 106 QB hits, 56 tackles for loss and eight forced fumbles.
