Why the 49ers Should Extend Nick Bosa
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Extending Nick Bosa is flying massively under the radar.
An extension for Deebo Samuel has take over all topics of discussion. Not even Jimmy Garoppolo is a twinkle in anyone's eye right now.
Bosa is just as deserving of a contract extension as Samuel is from the 49ers. In fact, you could argue that Bosa is the MOST deserving. Bosa plays a more premium position than Samuel does and has been more impactful since entering the league.
Not only does Bosa pass the eye test, but his stats do as well. He put up 15.5 sacks and 88 pressures per Pro Football Focus, along with having the highest double-team rate of any pass rusher. That is absurd. Double-teams used to shutdown Bosa, but he was able to figure out how to defeat them in 2021. The guy just continues to get better.
This is why the 49ers should extend Bosa this offseason.
He just keeps ascending and ascending. Not even coming off a torn ACL deterred him last season, which is absolutely nuts to see. Bosa was practically Iron Man in 2021 and he did it without a dominant edge rusher opposite him. It was pretty much him leading the way with a platoon of other solid lineman to back him up until Arik Armstead started dominating in the later parts of the season.
Since he is continuing to have a trajectory and is already clearly at such an elite level, the 49ers must not delay. Extending him now ensures that they can get him at a cheaper price than extending him next offseason when he is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Do the 49ers want to risk that?
It certainly wouldn't be advisable. The 49ers should absolutely look to lock in an extension with Bosa this offseason and must not dilly-dally. Other than injury concerns with Bosa, there is nothing more the 49ers need to see. The locker room and coaches like him, his work ethic is great, and he dominates on gameday. What more can you ask for? His stock is only going to increase barring a significant injury.
San Francisco would be wise to get a deal done with Bosa to give themselves a financial competitive advantage. Last offseason when the 49ers were working on a new deal with Fred Warner, they were able to finalize it before Darius Leonard and the Colts got theirs done. Because of that, the Niners saved roughly $5 million or so on the deal. Now that isn't a lot of money to the team, but any time a team can get a bit of a bargain for a star player, they must absolutely do it.
Now is that time for the 49ers to get that bargain with Bosa. The only issue is that he might not be so keen on signing an extension right now. Bosa still has two years left on his deal, assuming his fifth-year option is picked up, and could easily hold off on talks knowing he can put in another great season. He saw his brother Joey do it with the Chargers, so it is likely he does the same.
Still, if you're the 49ers you must try to get him inked to a deal this offseason, especially with the edge rusher market next year going to boom.
