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Nick Bosa

NFL Restructures: 49ers, Humphrey, Barrett, Teller

September 6th, 2023 at 9:11pm CST by Ely Allen

The NFL has an offseason rule called the Top 51 rule. The Top 51 rule dictates that, from the start of the new NFL league year until the beginning of the regular season, only the top 51 contracts (in terms of salary cap hit) count against a team’s salary cap. With the 2023 regular season starting tomorrow, the Top 51 rule expired at 4pm today.

This means that each team in the NFL was forced to add two more contracts to their salary cap totals. If a team was flirting with the ceiling of the salary cap, the addition of two more contracts may push them above the limit. While that may not have been the case for all of the following teams, these front offices decided to take advantage of the timing to clear up some cap space, according to ESPN’s Field Yates:

  • The 49ers did double-duty, restructuring the contracts of tight end George Kittle and offensive tackle Trent Williams. For Kittle, the team converted $10.57MM of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the end of the deal, clearing up $8.46MM of cap space. For Williams, San Francisco converted $18.24MM of the left tackle’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, also adding a single void year to the end of the deal. Williams’ adjustment cleared $14.59MM of cap space. The $23.04MM of cap space cleared in the restructures likely had less to do with the Top 51 rule and much more to do with star pass rusher Nick Bosa‘s record-setting extension.
  • The Ravens used the opportunity to adjust star cornerback Marlon Humphrey‘s contract. Baltimore converted $9.42MM of Humphrey’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus and added a single void year to the end of the deal. The adjustment created $7.54MM of cap space for the Ravens.
  • The Seahawks decided to create space by restructuring safety Jamal Adams‘ contract. Seattle converted $9.92MM of Adams’ 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, creating $6.61MM of cap space for the team.
  • The Buccaneers also targeted the contract of a defensive veteran, adjusting the numbers of pass rusher Shaquil Barrett. For Barrett, Tampa Bay converted $13.09MM of his 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the end of the contract. The restructure clears up $10.47MM of cap space for the Buccaneers.
  • The Titans also addressed the contract of a pass rusher, restructuring Harold Landry‘s current deal. Tennessee converted $11MM of Landry’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus, clearing up $8.25MM of cap space for the team.
  • The Broncos continue to miss the contributions of wide receiver Tim Patrick, who will once again miss the entire season, but Denver still found some value for him in a contract restructure. The team converted $6MM of Patrick’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus to clear up $3MM of cap space.
  • The Browns created some cap space by restructuring the deal of veteran offensive guard Wyatt Teller. Cleveland converted $11.42MM of Teller’s 2023 base salary into a signing bonus while adding an additional void year to the end his deal in order to create $9.14MM of cap space for the team.

Latest On 49ers, DE Nick Bosa

September 6th, 2023 at 8:43am CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Jones and Zack Martin‘s holdouts qualified as more contentious than Nick Bosa‘s, but like the Chiefs interior defensive line standout, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year is close to missing regular-season time.

Bosa still has a few more days to sign an extension and end his holdout, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes the 49ers have moved past one hurdle as they attempt to finalize this deal. As expected, Bosa will soon become the NFL’s highest-paid edge defender. The 49ers have offered Bosa at least $30MM per year, as we heard late last week. T.J. Watt‘s $28MM-AAV deal has paced the edge rusher market since September 2021.

The issue of Bosa passing Aaron Donald‘s defender-record deal, which averages $31.7MM per year, still looms. More specifically, the topic of the $5MM roster bonus the Rams gave Donald as part of his guarantee package is part of the Bosa-49ers equation, Rapoport adds. This would seem a small barrier to negotiate, but the parties are running short on time to have Bosa in uniform for the San Francisco-Pittsburgh opener.

If Bosa is not uniform for the 49ers against the Steelers, they are prepared to start free agency pickup Clelin Ferrell and 2022 second-rounder Drake Jackson, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows tweets. This would mark a dramatic change for Ferrell, a bust with the Raiders after being the No. 4 overall pick in 2019. The 49ers have done well to coax quality play from discarded veteran D-linemen in recent years, and it will be interesting to see what D-line coach Kris Kocurek generates from Ferrell, a healthy scratch at points last year in Las Vegas. Ferrell signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal in March.

Bosa’s presence has helped the revolving cast of veteran defensive ends operate, however, and the 49ers have let this matter run up against the regular season. They are still expected to waive Bosa fines for skipping training camp, which the CBA permits for holdouts on rookie contracts, separating this from the Chiefs-Jones impasse. The 49ers have budgeted for a Bosa extension for years, but this journey’s completion is proving difficult.

The guarantees on Bosa’s contract will most likely dwarf Donald’s, as those were part of a three-year deal. The Steelers gave Watt a defender-most $80MM guaranteed at signing; Joey Bosa received $78MM locked in from the Chargers back in 2020. It will be interesting to see if Nick Bosa ends up on a lengthy contract like Trent Williams, who signed a six-year deal in 2021, or a medium-term pact like Deebo Samuel (three years).

Donald staged a holdout ahead of his fourth season and missed the first two games of the Rams’ 2017 season. The circumstances behind that differed, though the Rams did waive Donald’s fines and paid him for Week 1. That holdout came in Sean McVay‘s first season, when little was expected of a retooling Rams team. The 49ers are again a Super Bowl contender, a status Bosa helped restore after he missed most of a down 2020 season with an ACL tear. Not having the 25-year-old standout in a road game against the Steelers may well impact the NFC’s home-field advantage chase four months from now.

Shanahan: 49ers Not Trading Nick Bosa

September 1st, 2023 at 6:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:15pm: Adding further to the belief that Bosa is attempting to eclipse Donald as the league’s highest-earning defensive player, Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda reports that the 49ers are offering a deal in the range of $30MM to $31MM per season. However, he also quotes a source stating that San Francisco “won’t break the bank” on the former No. 2 pick. With time running out before the start of the season, it will be interesting to see how much farther the team is willing to go to get these negotiations over the finish line.

10:06am: Nick Bosa‘s holdout dragging into September has the 49ers in the same boat with the Chiefs, whose top defensive player (Chris Jones) is also in pursuit of a monster extension. While the current CBA largely curbed holdouts over its first three seasons, Bosa, Jones and Zack Martin have tested their respective teams this summer.

The Cowboys reached a resolution with Martin, giving the All-Pro guard a raise and fully guaranteeing his money through the end of his through-2024 contract. Martin still incurred nonwaivable fines, with Jones barreling toward $2MM in such penalties. But the CBA allows the 49ers to waive Bosa fines — due to the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year being tied to a rookie contract. That component makes this a less contentious negotiation.

But the 49ers are less than 10 days from potentially opening the season without Bosa. Kyle Shanahan expected a contract agreement to be reached around this time, and when asked if the absence of an extension opens the door to Bosa being traded, the seventh-year HC responded in the negative. John Lynch was more direct, flatly indicating (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner) Bosa would not be moved amid these long-running negotiations.

“I thought it would come probably at this time, just looking at the history of those things,” Shanahan said of a Bosa deal. “And I’m really hoping it gets done. I know they’re working tirelessly at it … but hopefully we can get him in here sooner than later.”

Bosa’s importance to the 49ers ahead of his age-26 season made the subject of a trade almost immaterial, at least compared to the Chiefs’ Jones impasse. The 49ers have budgeted a Bosa extension for a while, with Lynch indicating last year 2023 would be the window when the star defensive end would cash in. Although the 49ers extended Deebo Samuel and George Kittle late in the summer, Bosa’s talks are pushing up against the regular season. Samuel agreed to his extension on July 31 of last year; Kittle locked in on August 13, 2020.

Lynch expressed disappointment this situation produced a lengthy holdout but said Bosa will land a “special contract.” Bosa’s camp is almost definitely gunning to top Aaron Donald‘s defender-record number ($31.7MM per year). With T.J. Watt setting the edge defender market in September 2021, the 49ers should be expected to top the Rams’ Donald payment. Bosa does not turn 26 until October and established himself as a franchise-changing presence immediately. The salary cap being back on the rise also boosts Bosa’s cause. Bosa is tied to a $17.86MM fifth-year option number; the 49ers stand to gain cap room with this extension.

In what should probably go without saying, new 49ers DC Steve Wilks doubts Bosa will be limited when he returns to work, per the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman. Watt agreed to his $28MM-AAV extension (with a defender-record $80MM fully guaranteed) three days before the Steelers’ 2021 opener, though the Steelers star had staged a hold-in effort while tied to a fifth-year option salary. The 49ers open the regular season on Sept. 10 in Pittsburgh.

49ers Place Nick Bosa On Reserve/Did Not Report List, Pare Roster To 53

August 29th, 2023 at 9:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers joined the Chiefs in placing their best defensive player on the reserve/did not report list due to a holdout and joined the other 30 teams in finalizing their 53-man roster. Some changes are expected, with veterans pledged to stay. But here is how the 49ers reached 53:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/did not report list:

Placed on IR:

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

The 49ers are planning to re-sign Hyder and Bryant once they make other roster moves, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Both are vested veterans who are not subject to waivers. With Samson Ebukam and Charles Omenihu gone, Hyder figures to be a key piece as a rotational defensive end. He is with the 49ers for the third time in four seasons. After an 8.5-sack slate in 2020, Hyder signed with the Seahawks. But Seattle released him in 2021, leading the veteran back to the Bay Area.

San Francisco’s 53-man roster will include Bosa soon, and this holdout does not appear as contentious as the Chris Jones-Chiefs standoff. John Lynch has indicated the 49ers will waive Bosa’s fines for missing training camp — an option the 49ers have due to Bosa being tied to a rookie contract. While the 49ers changed defensive coordinators, bringing in Steve Wilks to replace DeMeco Ryans, D-line coach Kris Kocurek remains in place. Bosa should be able to hit the ground running once he returns, though the 49ers are running short on time here.

Gonzalez suffered a calf injury Kyle Shanahan said would keep him out a few weeks. With the veteran landing on IR, an injury settlement is likely. The 49ers used a third-round pick on Michigan kicker Jake Moody, but Barrows notes the strained quadriceps injury he suffered may keep him out of Week 1. On that note, the 49ers worked out Tristan Vizcaino and Taylor Russolino, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. Robbie Gould, the 49ers’ kicker for the past six seasons, remains unsigned.

No Deal Imminent Between 49ers, Nick Bosa?

August 25th, 2023 at 11:15am CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers have a signficant decision to make on the offensive side of the ball with respect to retaining or moving on from quarterback Trey Lance. The franchise’s other recent top-three pick is firmly in their long-term plans, but plenty of work remains to ensure that he will be in the fold for years to come.

Nick Bosa remains absent from training camp as negotiations on an extension are ongoing. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is under contract for 2023 via the fifth-year option, but a multi-year deal keeping him on the books well beyond that point – and at a much higher price tag than the $17.9MM he will earn this year – has long been considered an inevitability given his importance to the team.

The former No. 2 selection has earned a Pro Bowl in each of his three healthy seasons, rebounding effectively from an injury-shortened 2020 campaign over the past two years. Bosa has racked up 34 sacks and 40 tackles for loss during that span, and he was named a first-team All-Pro in 2022. That success has, as general manager John Lynch acknowledged in July, complicated contract talks. Urgency seems to be picking up on the team’s side to hammer out an agreement.

“I don’t like the situation,” Lynch said during an appearance on KNBR when asked about where things stand on the Bosa front (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). “Since our tenure here, we haven’t had a holdout to anywhere towards this magnitude. So it’s not something I’m comfortable with. We’re working really hard to try to change that. We’re in good communication with his reps. He’s a special player. He’s going to get a special contract, I can tell you that.”

Lynch has expressed optimism regarding the chances of getting a monster pact signed this summer, something which the team has long planned to work out in the 2023 offseason. As one of the NFL’s top young defenders, the possibility has frequently been floated of Bosa, 25, eclipsing Aaron Donald as the highest-paid player on that side of the ball. Donald’s re-worked Rams accord carries an annual average value of $31.67MM. Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, meanwhile, holds the title of the NFL’s best-compensated edge rusher at a rate of $28MM per year.

By holding out of training camp, Bosa has incurred daily fines of $40K. Those penalties are mandatory for veteran players per the CBA, but CBS Sports’ Joel Corry notes that they can be waived for players still on their rookie deals (Twitter link). Bosa’s absence during each of the 49ers’ preseason games opens to door to over $992K in fines (the equivalent of a regular season game check) per contest, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As he notes, however, it is likely San Francisco will waive those penalties once a deal is agreed to, something Lynch remains hopeful will happen soon despite the ground which still needs to be made up.

“We’re getting closer and eager to bring this thing to a close,” he added. “Just know that we’re working diligently to try to bring it to a close.”

Nick Bosa Not In Attendance At 49ers’ Training Camp

July 26th, 2023 at 5:43pm CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 26: Bosa is indeed holding out, and on Wednesday the 49ers placed him on the reserve/did not report list, per the transactions wire. As fines begin to accumulate, it will be interesting to monitor how willing each side is to accelerate talks on what will be an enormous extension.

JULY 25: When training camp opens tomorrow for the 49ers, Nick Bosa is not expected to be a participant in team drills. Many expected that to come about as a result of a hold-in, but a full absence appears to be the likelier scenario.

When speaking to the media on Tuesday, GM John Lynch acknowledged that he does not expect Bosa to be in attendance (Twitter link via David Lombardi of The Athletic). That would represent an even bolder negotiating step than the hold-in (during which players arrive at camp but decline to take part in practices) the reigning Defensive Player of the Year was thought to be contemplating.

Bosa is under contract this season on the fifth-year option. That will see him earn $17.9MM, but an extension would be worth considerably more given his track record. The former No. 2 pick led the league with 18.5 sacks last season, earning him a third Pro Bowl invitation and an All-Pro nod. That performance brought his career sack total to 43 in 51 games.

“I have not seen Nick,” Lynch said, adding that Bosa extension talks could be “a little more complex” than with other star players. “I would expect he’s not here to start off. We’re working. We’re having really good communication… We’re working diligently to try to come to an agreement. I think the challenge is you’re talking about a real special player. You’re talking about one of the better players in the league. You could argue that could simplify things, but I think at times it’s just finding that sweet spot.”

Lynch has previously stated his confidence in a deal getting worked out with Bosa, 25. A mega-contract has long been on the team’s radar, and for much of the offseason the top question has seemed simply to whether or not Bosa will eclipse T.J. Watt ($28MM per season) as the league’s highest-paid edge rusher and, perhaps, Aaron Donald ($31.67MM) as the league’s top-earning defender.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan added that, regardless of whether Bosa attends camp or not, he is unlikely to take the field before his contract is worked out. Bosa would be subject to $40K in daily fines if he remains absent, so movement in this situation could be coming soon.

Largest 2023 Cap Hits: Defense

July 12th, 2023 at 9:52am CST by Sam Robinson

While the NFL’s top 2023 cap hits go to players on offense, a number of pass rushers are tied to lofty figures as well. None check in higher than Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams.

Williams and Chiefs D-tackle Chris Jones carry high contract-year cap hits, while the Steelers’ two front-seven cornerstones each are set to go into training camp with cap figures north of $20MM. As the salary cap climbed to $224.8MM this year, here are the top defensive cap figures as camps near:

  1. Leonard Williams, DL (Giants): $32.26MM
  2. T.J. Watt, OLB (Steelers): $29.37MM
  3. Myles Garrett, DE (Browns): $29.18MM
  4. Chris Jones, DT (Chiefs): $28.29MM
  5. Aaron Donald, DL (Rams): $26MM
  6. Arik Armstead, DT (49ers): $23.95MM
  7. Cameron Heyward, DL (Steelers): $22.26MM
  8. C.J. Mosley, LB (Jets): $21.48MM
  9. Jonathan Allen, DT (Commanders): $21.44MM
  10. Shaquil Barrett, OLB (Buccaneers): $21.25MM
  11. Grady Jarrett, DT (Falcons): $20.63MM
  12. Marlon Humphrey, CB (Ravens): $19.99MM
  13. Shaquille Leonard, LB (Colts): $19.79MM
  14. Kevin Byard, S (Titans): $19.62MM
  15. Adoree’ Jackson, CB (Giants): $19.08MM
  16. Harold Landry, OLB (Titans): $18.8MM
  17. Justin Simmons, S (Broncos): $18.15MM
  18. Jamal Adams, S (Seahawks): $18.11MM
  19. Matt Judon, DE (Patriots): $18.107MM
  20. Quandre Diggs, S (Seahawks): $18.1MM
  21. Nick Bosa, DE (49ers): $17.9MM
  22. DeForest Buckner, DT (Colts): $17.25MM
  23. Emmanuel Ogbah, DE (Dolphins): $17.19MM
  24. DeMarcus Lawrence, DE (Cowboys): $17.11MM
  25. Eddie Jackson, S (Bears): $17.1MM

The Chiefs are working toward a second extension agreement with Jones, who is in the final season of a four-year, $80MM contract. A new deal with the star inside pass rusher would free up cap space, and DeAndre Hopkins is believed to be monitoring this situation.

As for Williams, the Giants had wanted to adjust his deal to reduce his eye-opening cap number. As of mid-June, however, no extension appeared to be on the team’s radar. The previous Giants regime signed off on the 2021 Williams extension (three years, $63MM). The Giants are also uninterested — for the time being, at least — in extending Jackson, who was also a Dave Gettleman-era defensive addition.

Donald is in the second season of a three-year, $95MM deal. The Rams gave Donald a landmark raise last year, convincing the all-everything D-tackle to squash retirement talk. A no-trade clause exists in Donald’s contract, which pays out its guarantees this year. Mosley remains tied to the $17MM-per-year deal the Mike Maccagnan regime authorized with the Jets. That contract, which reset the off-ball linebacker market in 2019, still has two seasons remaining on it due to the deal tolling after Mosley’s 2020 COVID-19 opt-out call. The Jets restructured the deal last year.

Washington now has two D-tackles tied to deals of at least $18MM per year. While Daron Payne‘s pact is worth more ($22.5MM AAV), higher cap hits on that deal will come down the road. Three years remain on Allen’s 2021 agreement. At safety, no team is spending like the Seahawks. In addition to the big-ticket deals authorized for Adams and Diggs, Seattle gave ex-Giants starter Julian Love a two-year, $6MM accord in March.

New Titans GM Ran Carthon attempted to give Byard a pay cut. That request did not go over well, but the standout safety remains with the team and has not requested a trade. Tennessee re-signed Landry on a five-year, $87.5MM deal in 2022; the veteran edge rusher has yet to play on that deal due to the ACL tear he sustained just before last season.

The 49ers can bring Bosa’s number down via an extension, which has long been on the team’s docket. As San Francisco extended Deebo Samuel just after training camp began last year, Bosa received back-burner treatment due to the fifth-year option. The star defensive end’s price undoubtedly went up during the waiting period, with the former No. 2 overall pick earning Defensive Player of the Year acclaim in the fourth year of his rookie contract.

Nick Bosa Likely To Stage Hold-In If Unsigned By Training Camp

July 11th, 2023 at 7:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Nick Bosa extension has been on the 49ers’ docket for multiple offseasons. The team has long viewed this year as the likely extension window, seeing as the All-Pro defensive end had the fifth-year option in his rookie contract. But Bosa remains unsigned.

It is not too unusual for a first-rounder to enter his fifth training camp still tied to his rookie contract, though other defensive linemen from Bosa’s draft class locked in lucrative extensions earlier this offseason. If Bosa is unsigned by the time the 49ers begin camp, it should not be expected he will participate. A hold-in effort should be viewed as likely in this instance, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News notes.

This should not be taken as a sign animosity exists between the 49ers and their top player. Bosa regularly skips OTAs before reporting to minicamp. This year, the fifth-year veteran did not participate in minicamp. That provided a decent indication of Bosa’s plans for a training camp should he remain on his rookie deal.

The reigning Defensive Player of the Year looms as the top candidate to top Aaron Donald‘s defender-record AAV. The Rams gave Donald a $31.7MM-per-year contract in June 2022, moving the future Hall of Fame defensive tackle away from a potential retirement. Bosa does not have that kind of leverage, and the 2020 CBA curbed holdouts by mandating steep fines and the threat of stripping players of an accrued year toward free agency. The latter component would not affect Bosa, if he attempted to stage a holdout, as he has already played four seasons to become a UFA. But he would be hit with substantial penalties for skipping workouts.

Deebo Samuel‘s negotiations were messier than Bosa’s. They featured a trade request and hold-in measures at minicamp and training camp. But the 49ers came to terms with the versatile playmaker on July 31, 2022. That brought Samuel back onto the field early in camp. Bosa’s negotiations might be a bit more complicated, with a possible defense-record salary in play. This situation reminds of T.J. Watt‘s two years ago. The Steelers All-Pro did not practice during the team’s training camp, and his hold-in encompassed the preseason slate and ran up to Week 1. Pittsburgh and the star edge rusher agreed on a four-year, $112MM extension on Sept. 9, 2021.

Watt’s contract set the market for edge rushers; Bosa is likely looking to not only surpass that but move beyond Donald’s deal as well. This would be a bit of a bridge, as there is a $3.5MM AAV gap between those numbers. But the salary cap is back on the rise, after a 2021 regression. Money from the 2021 TV deals will lead to bigger cap spikes, and position salary standards will fall. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers attempt to keep Bosa under Donald’s number or if they will sign off on their dynamic D-end setting the market for all defenders.

If the 49ers and Bosa are not on the same page, the team would still have the defensive end franchise tag at its disposal for 2024. But a Bosa re-up has been budgeted for a while now. The former No. 2 overall pick undoubtedly raised his price after last season’s league-leading 18.5-sack showing, but the team now has the Jimmy Garoppolo contract off its cap sheet and should be amenable to a monster Bosa re-up.

49ers GM John Lynch Confident In Nick Bosa Extension; No Deal Imminent

April 1st, 2023 at 6:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

As has been the case on several occasions in recent years, the 49ers have a major extension to attend to this offseason. Nick Bosa remains eligible for a new deal, one which has the chance to be historic for defensive players in its size.

The 2019 second overall pick is set to earn just under $17.9MM in 2023 on the fifth-year option, but that figure will comfortably be eclipsed on his second contract. Coming off a campaign in which he led the league in sacks, the Defensive Player of the Year could become the NFL’s top paid defender with an extension. That should be expected to be finalized this offseason, though a firm timeline is not currently in place.

“He’s training. He’s doing what Nick Bosa does,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said at the annual league meetings, “and we’re going to address his contract at some point. I know that it will take persistence, it will take patience, all the things I said before” (h/t Rohan Chakravarthi of 49erswebzone.com).

Last offseason, Lynch made it clear that multi-year deals for both Bosa and wideout Deebo Samuel had been budgeted for. In the latter’s case, contract talks broke down to the point that Samuel requested a trade, something the team never gave serious consideration to. In the end, the sides agreed on a three-year, $71.5MM deal in the summer to keep him in the Bay Area as a key part of the team’s nucleus.

A Bosa extension will likely be notably more lucrative. The 25-year-old has racked up 43 sacks in 51 career games, adding eight forced fumbles and 56 tackles for loss in that span. Rebounding from his injury-shortened 2020 campaign, the three-time Pro Bowler has remained healthy for the past two seasons, helping the 49ers enjoy consecutive trips to the NFC title game.

“He’s a really good player who’s going to get everything that he’s earned and deserves, and I do like our track record of getting [extensions] done,” Lynch said, adding on the subject of a potential timeline that, “they don’t come as quick as you’d like sometimes… And this one, I don’t know where that would be. I don’t think that has to be the case, but we’ll see where it goes.”

The NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher is Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt, who averages $28MM per year on his current deal. Amongst all defensive players, that figure trails only Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald ($31.6MM). Bosa could command a deal outpacing each of those players given his age and production, and a turbulent negotiating period certainly wouldn’t be unprecedented for the 49ers. Given Lynch’s remarks, though, a monster deal coming together in the near future would come as little surprise.

49ers Rumors: Garoppolo, Bosa

January 26th, 2023 at 10:01pm CST by Ely Allen

The story in the Bay Area for the last two months has been the play of 49ers rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. But for a team that has already seen their top two quarterback options for the season go down with injury, the prospect of having to turn to veteran, journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson is not an extremely attractive one as they prepare for the conference championship and Super Bowl. It was good news, then, when head coach Kyle Shanahan reported earlier this week that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had an “outside chance” of being available for this weekend’s game with a Super Bowl trip being even more likely, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner.

A more recent update from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network has clarified that Garoppolo’s most recent X-rays have resulted in in him being downgraded to doubtful for the NFC Championship game. That doesn’t rule him out for the big game in two weeks’ time, though. If the 49ers make it past the Eagles for a trip to Arizona, they may see a significant upgrade to their quarterbacks room.

Purdy would most likely continue in his starting role, as the team has not lost with him at quarterback, but Garoppolo would be a massive upgrade at backup quarterback over Johnson. Johnson was given the roster spot for a reason, but Garoppolo’s years of familiarity and experience with the offense makes him much more suited for success in an emergency situation during the season’s biggest game.

Regardless, as big of a game as it is, San Francisco likely respects Garoppolo too much to rush him back into play if he’s not ready. If there is any danger of further injury, expect the two-deep to show Purdy and Johnson as the top options.

Here’s another rumor for San Francisco as they prepare to join rest of the NFL in the offseason, whether that be in three days or seventeen:

  • Continuing a story from the offseason, the 49ers still have every intention of extending star defensive end Nick Bosa. While the NFL’s reigning sack leader does have a fifth-year option on his rookie contract, San Francisco has no intention of letting him get anywhere near that close to free agency. According to a report from Rapoport, Bosa’s expectation will be nothing short of becoming the highest-paid defensive player in the NFL. Currently, by annual average value, that honor belongs to Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who makes $31.67MM per year, with Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt coming in a far off second at $28MM per year. Bosa’s older brother, Chargers outside linebacker Joey Bosa, currently sits in third at $27MM per year. The younger Bosa will demand a pretty penny, but San Francisco has made a point to invest in its young assets recently, rewarding such players as wide receiver Deebo Samuel, tackle Trent Williams, tight end George Kittle, and running back Christian McCaffrey handsomely. Expect that trend to continue as they attempt to lock down the potential 2022 Defensive Player of the Year.
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