What Should the Concern Level be for the 49ers With Nick Bosa's Holdout?
“That would surprise me.”
That is what Kyle Shanahan answered when he was asked if he expects Nick Bosa to show up at 49ers training camp.
Bosa is due for a contract extension as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. This isn't anything new for the 49ers since they have dealt with these training camp extensions with players since 2020 when it started with George Kittle. Except this time, all the leverage is on the side of Bosa who will cost exponentially more than any of their previous players they extended.
"We're working, we're having really good communication with [NFL player agent] Brian Ayrault," said John Lynch. "He's got good, competent people that we have an immense amount of respect for working for him and we're working diligently to try to come to an agreement. I think the challenges, you're talking about a real special player, you’re talking about one of the better players in the league. You could argue that it could simplify things, but I think at times it's just finding that sweet spot and where is the right spot and we're committed to working towards that."
Do not expect Bosa to be at camp without a new deal and rightfully so. Negotiations with the 49ers tend to get a player on a bit of a discounted deal, but there is no way the 49ers will be able to get Bosa to sign that. It would be quite disrespectful of them to expect him to do so, especially coming off the best season of his career.
The 49ers have never given out more than around $42 million guaranteed at signing. Given Bosa's peak value and position, he is bound to receive way more than that. This could take some time for the 49ers and Bosa to find an agreeable extension since it will be incredibly lucrative. It's uncharted territory for the 49ers and could grow into something concerning.
So, what should the concern level be for the 49ers with Bosa's holdout?
Minimal. I don't anticipate this taking too long. In fact, I'd expect a deal to be done within the first week of August. The 49ers have to cash out Bosa. There is nothing to hesitate about with him, but of course the 49ers will have to try to see if they can save a few million dollars here and there with his extension. However, the best way to do that is by signing him as soon as possible.
There are other star defensive lineman waiting on a new deal, and once those deals come out, then it will only raise the value of Bosa who will look to top it. Brian Burns is another defensive end who is expecting an extension, and despite being a defensive tackle, Chris Jones and Christian Wilkins are overall one of the best defensive lineman who are due as well. These are all factors in play for Bosa, so you got a mix of the market from these players as well as the phenomenal 2022 season Bosa is coming off of to cap off his elite resume.
"We want all our players to be here," said Lynch. "We got a pretty good track record of having our guys here and done with contracts. So, like I said, this one may be perhaps a little more complex and no timelines there, but I tell you that we're working hard. We have good communication and we got to keep doing that. And the interest is mutual.”
The only way the concern would start to creep is if the first preseason game is already approaching with zero agreement in sight. At that point, there will be a lot of questions as to why the 49ers cannot get it done. Lowballing Bosa will be the first idea if a deal hasn't been inked yet as the 49ers tend to do that with their players. But until then, the concern level is minimal, especially since Bosa doesn't need the reps at training camp.
