Nick Bosa’s Holdout From The San Francisco 49ers Is Becoming A Big Deal

Nick Bosa could exit a cryosleep and immediately dominate a football game. That’s how good the San Francisco 49ers star and reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is.

It’s also one of the reasons why Bosa’s holdout from training camp has not necessarily made headlines in recent weeks. With the former No. 1 overall pick looking for a lucrative long-term contract extension, he has remained away from practice and the team facility.

Entering the final year of his rookie deal, the 25-year-old Bosa downplayed his contract situation in the lead up to training camp.

“It’s pretty high. I think I am pretty confident about that. I think I’ll get what I deserve,” Bosa told reporters back in in June about his confidence level that a new deal would get done soon.

Months earlier, 49ers general manager John Lynch sounded the same tune. “I feel really confident. It’s hard for me. I want things done now. I always challenge that. Why can’t we? He wants to be here, we want him. Deadlines tend to drive these things, but our track record is — we get them done,” Lynch said in February, via NBC Sports Bay Area.

So, why is Bosa still away from the 49ers as they prepare for their second preseason game this summer against the Denver Broncos Saturday evening? Perhaps, Lynch’s deadline is the week of San Francisco’s season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 10.

What’s clear now is that the situation is a bit more complicated when Lynch and his team sits down and talks numbers with Bosa’s agent at CAA Sports, Brian Ayrault.

Nick Bosa Looking At Record-Setting Contract

Whenever negotiations are to reset a market, they become a bit more complicated. The idea of precedence can be thrown out the window. At 25 and coming off a season in which he led the NFL with 18.5 sacks, it’s a common belief that Bosa will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history. At the very least, he’ll reset the market for a defensive player.

Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams owns the current high-water mark at $31.67 million annually, per Spotrac. Bosa’s next deal will surpass that. At issue here is guaranteed money more than anything else. Donald’s deal is for three years and calls for $46.5 million fully guaranteed.

MORE FROM FORBESSan Francisco 49ers on the Forbes NFL Team Valuations List

A better comparison would be the four-year, $112.01 million contract extension edge rusher T.J. Watt signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers back in September of 2021. He received $80 million fully guaranteed at signing.

Roughly 20 months later, and the value has increased for Bosa when it comes to fully guaranteed cash. The NFL salary cap increase coupled with market dynamics both play a major role in this. So, while we’re looking at total cash and average annual salary, there’s a lot more to focus on when sitting down at the negotiating table.

San Francisco 49ers Are Not In A Position Of Strength

The current NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement calls for Bosa to be fined $40,000 for every day of training camp that he misses. He can also be fined a game check for every preseason outing that the Pro Bowler misses. Set to earn a base of just under $18 million in 2023, this holdout can soon become a pretty expensive proposition for Bosa.

With that as a backdrop, he has already opted to hold out this far into the summer. Bosa appears trenched in. Even if the 49ers opted not to fine him, Bosa is well aware of the finances that come with him being away from the team.

On the other hand, San Francisco has to think long and hard about just how much of an impact a more protracted holdout will be for the Super Bowl contender. Even if Bosa were to report before Week 1 to avoid losing regular season game checks, the situation would be far from settled. He’s set to hit free agency next March. Short of an extension being agreed to, the 49ers will place the dreaded franchise tag on their best player. One can only imagine how Bosa would handle that hypothetical situation given that the defensive end is holding out while still under contract.

In the end, it’s mutually beneficial for these two sides to come to terms on a record-breaking contract extension. The ball is now in San Francisco’s court to get something done. The team is in the midst of a championship window. Its odds increase dramatically with a happy and fed Nick Bosa. With just a few weeks until the regular season opening, time is running out for this to get settled.