Cheer in the Bay Area! The month-long tug of war is over. Just in time for the start of the new NFL season, the San Francisco 49ers and star defenseman Nick Bosa have agreed on a new contract that makes him the highest-paid defender in history.
As several NFL insiders unanimously reported, Bosa will sign with the Nines for five more years. In those five years, the pass rusher can earn up to $170 million, which translates to $34 million a year. Bosa surpasses previous defense money leader Aaron Donald, who “only” makes $31 million a year.
In addition to his enormous annual salary, Bosa can also look forward to a decent guarantee sum. 122.5 of the 170 million dollars are guaranteed! Bosa is now the record holder in this respect as well, eclipsing previous leader TJ Watt ($80 million) by just over $40 million.
A proud price for the 49ers, who, however, secure what is currently perhaps the best defender in the league in the long term. At least, Bosa was recognized as the same last year after posting an incredible 18.5 sacks in the regular season.
NFL: Bosa holdout ended in time
Of course, the agreement between the two parties came just in time. The Niners have their opening match against the Steelers this weekend. It remains to be seen whether and to what extent Nick Bosa will be there in Pittsburgh.
After all, the pass rusher hadn’t practiced with the team in months due to his holdout.
Speaking of the holdout, now that it’s over, so are the penalties Bosa has accumulated over the past few weeks. As ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio reported in mid-August, each day in the holdout costs Bosa $40,000 and each missed preseason game costs another $922,166. Accordingly, Bosa would have had to pay fines of over $3 million.
However, the Niners let it be known early on that the penalties would be waived in the event of an agreement. Incidentally, this procedure is only possible because Bosa still had a rookie contract.