The San Francisco 49ers just made a big decision on defensive lineman Nick Bosa before they kick off the 2023 NFL season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the 49ers and Bosa have agreed to a five-year, $170 million contract extension that will make him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. The extension includes $122.5 million guaranteed. When 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan heard the news before speaking to the media, he confirmed that Bosa is ending his holdout, signing the contract and joining the team before they take on the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
“Once we kind of went through the weekend, I just kind of got in my mind that we weren’t playing with him,” Shanahan said. “If I would have gone back and forth, that would have been miserable, so I just decided we weren’t. I think our team was ready to not [have him] and that was our mindset, and it was a hell of a bonus just getting told that coming in here. So we’re obviously real excited about it.”
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Bosa, 25, was selected No. 2 overall by the 49ers in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was named Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 after recording 47 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks and one interception. In 2022, Bosa was named Defensive Player of the Year after posting 51 tackles, 19 tackles for loss and a league-leading 18.5 sacks.
Shanahan did say he needs to talk to Bosa and see where he is health-wise as he’s been at his home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida during his holdout. But he expects Bosa to see a lot of snaps on Sunday. “There is (some) question because we haven’t seen him, but I think you guys know how I’m talking,” Shanahan said. “He’d have to have a beer belly and be out of shape or something and that’s not in Nick Bosa’s DNA.”
Having Bosa in the mix is big for the 49ers who have Super Bowl aspirations. In the last two seasons, the 49ers have fallen short of reaching the championship game, losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2021 NFC Championship and the Philadelphia Eagles and last year’s conference title game. In Bosa’s rookie season, the 49ers reached the Super Bowl, but the team lost to Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
