The wait for Nick Bosa’s contract extension will very likely last into next offseason.
General manager John Lynch on Tuesday in a pre-training camp press conference talked about his star defensive end’s contract extension talks and was mostly mum on details. He did offer an explanation though on why there hasn’t been a lot of buzz about a new deal for Bosa.
“I think the thing I’d tell you there is, if you look at our history, our cadence, you know most of our deals are done with one year left on the contract,” Lynch said. “Nick’s got two years left and so that doesn’t make it impossible, but makes it more likely that it’s something that will be addressed next year. No absolutes, you never say never, but here’s what I do know, as long as we’re here, Nick Bosa is going to be a part of the Niners and he’s going to get paid handsomely to do so. So his time’s coming and when it does, he’ll get what he deserves because man, what a special player.”
Bosa was a first-round pick in 2019, but what separates him from Deebo Samuel is that fifth-year option that comes with a first-round pick’s rookie contract. Having a fifth-year to exercise with Bosa gives San Francisco’s front office some wiggle room they don’t have with Samuel.
As noted by ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, Nick’s brother, Joey, waited until after his fourth season to ink his six-year, $149.36 million deal with the Chargers.
It behooves Bosa to wait, although he is eligible for an extension this offseason. He had a terrific rookie season, a season lost to an ACL tear, and a monster bounce-back campaign last year where he racked up 15.5 sacks and a league-high 21 tackles for loss. It stands to reason he’ll be even better in 2022 another year removed from his ACL tear.
Another big season from Bosa could fetch him a contract next offseason that earns him the most money ever for a defensive player. If he takes a step up from what he did in 2021, shelling out that record-setting deal would be an easy call for San Francisco’s front office.
