No news is not necessarily good news when it comes to the 49ers and Nick Bosa.
On Thursday, one day before the club’s final preseason game, general manager John Lynch appeared on KNBR’s "Murph & Mac" show to discuss the latest regarding Bosa’s impending mega-extension.
“I don’t like the situation,” Lynch said. “Since our tenure here, we haven’t had a holdout anywhere toward this magnitude. Not something I’m comfortable with. We are working really hard to try to change that. We are in good communication with his reps.”
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The 49ers have inked hefty extensions for many of their star players including George Kittle, Fred Warner and Deebo Samuel, but they are faced with an even bigger challenge with Bosa. The fact that the pass rusher was recognized as 2023’s Defensive Player of the Year likely weighs heavily on the negotiations.
“He’s a special player, he’s going to get a special contract, I can tell you that,” Lynch said. “We are getting closer and eager to bring this thing to a close, but I’ll leave it at that. We’ve talked from the beginning, Nick, myself and his representatives about, ‘Let’s keep this thing in-house,’ so we will continue to do that. Just know that we are working diligently to bring it to a close.”
Bosa is known for his incredibly strict workout regimen, which will help him be ready to step onto the field whenever a deal is finally agreed upon. Still, being in shape, and being in “football shape,” are two different things.
Previously Lynch had expressed that “most” players need a minimum of three weeks of practice to be ready for an actual regular season game, to avoid the soft tissue injuries that often come with the start of the season.
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“I think the keyword there is ‘most', ” Lynch said. “Nick is a unique, physical specimen. Nick also prides himself, [and is] special as anyone I’ve ever been around in terms of keeping himself in great shape. I think Nick will be ready. That won’t be a problem. We got to continue to plod forward and bring this to a resolution.”
Bosa is an essential part of the 49ers defensive front that was ranked as one of the top units in the NFL in 2023. The club made the defensive line a priority during the offseason adding Javon Hargrave to the mix, but the key to its success still has not arrived in Santa Clara.