49ers GM Talks Nick Bosa Contract, Holdout: 'Ultimately This Thing Will Work Out'

While the San Francisco 49ers and Nick Bosa remain apart on long-term extension talks and the superstar defensive continues his holdout, now a week into training camp, general manager John Lynch is confident a deal will eventually get done.

"I don't like not having one of our best players here," he told reporters Monday. "We've got a really good track record that I'm proud of as a group of having our players in, but I also understand it. And understand that we're going to have to exhibit some patience and understand that ultimately this thing will work out."

Bosa, 25, is almost assuredly seeking a contract that will exceed several huge deals at the position.

There is the four-year, $112 million extension T.J. Watt signed in 2021 with the Pittsburgh Steelers—which has the top average annual salary among edge-rushers at $28 million and the most money guaranteed at signing ($78 million) for any defensive player—and the five-year, $135 million deal his brother Joey signed with the Los Angeles Chargers back in 2020, which has the most practical guarantees ($102 million) for a defender.

There's also the six-year, $141 million deal Khalil Mack signed with the Chicago Bears back in 2018, a contract that has the most total money for a player on the defensive side of the ball.

And then there's the three-year, $95 million deal defensive tackle Aaron Donald signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, giving him the highest AAV of any defensive player at $31.6 million. Bosa is expected to become the highest-paid defensive player in football once he signs, and a deal in the range of five years and $160 million—with a sobering amount of guarantees—wouldn't be shocking.

And he'll have earned it. In four seasons and 51 career games he's already registered 43 sacks, with 15.5 in 2021 and 18.5 last season to go along with 51 tackles (19 for loss), 48 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed.

PFF's Sam Monson ranked him the No. 11 player in all of the NFL last season, writing that he "tied for the league lead with 90 pressures in the regular season before adding eight more in the playoffs. Bosa was a problem for any offense that had to block him, and he was the best run defender among the top edge rushers this season."

As for Bosa skipping training camp, Lynch confirmed that the team wouldn't be seeking the $40,000-a-day fines they could be collecting while he holds out during training camp.

"I don't think that's really necessary," he told reporters. "That's not going to get him in here. We're both striving for the same thing, so we'll focus on that."