Nick Bosa, the most feared edge-rusher in the league, is now being paid like it. The San Francisco 49ers have finally come to their senses and paid the defensive player of the year.
The five-year $170 million contract extension is massive, easily making Bosa the highest-paid defensive player in history.—$ 122.5 million is guaranteed to Bosa, leapfrogging T.J. Watt’s measly $80 million. He will make $34 million a year, beating arguably the greatest defensive player ever in Aaron Donald and his $31.4 million yearly.
After leading the NFL in sacks (18.5), Bosa deservingly held out for a new contract and a higher payday. The Ohio State alumn took it down to the wire, and after reports surfaced of his absence from the 9ers’ first practice leading up to the Week one matchup in Pittsburgh, it seemed as though Bosa was ready to take this into the season. He is now available for the season’s opener.
Although it took longer than both sides expected, there was always a certainty from Bosa and the San Francisco front office a deal would get done. The 25-year-old has found a home in the Bay Area and will be there through 2029. Head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if there were a chance Bosa would get traded.
Shanahan’s response: “No.”
The former defensive rookie of the year is coming off the best season of his career. He led the league in sacks and got his first All-Pro nod and his third Pro Bowl with 51 tackles, second-best 19 tackles for a loss, and third-best 58 quarterback pressures.
Number 97 had the foresight that many 9ers fans were lacking. On June 6th, Bosa was asked if he believed he would become the highest-paid defensive player in history, “I’ll get what I deserve,” he responded.
Bosa took to Instagram to announce it was time to return to work.
San Francisco boasts one of if not the best defenses in the league, and now, with the DPOY back on their team, the 9ers will be a force to be reckoned with once again.
