The 49ers’ season begins in five days, and Nick Bosa is still not signed. It appears there is a reasonable chance he will not be signed by the time the team kicks off the season in Pittsburgh.
Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Bosa could continue holding out into the season.
“The Bosas take their value extremely seriously, from the top, from the father, to Joey Bosa, to Nick Bosa,” Rapoport said. “If there is one family that could ever hold out into the season, this would be it. I don’t know that that’s gonna happen. But I’m just saying, this is one family that believes what they believe and will take that stance, like essentially Nick Bosa has done.”
Rapoport said that the 49ers have offered more than T.J. Watt’s average annual contract value of more than $28 million per year, and are over the $30 million mark. It’s an interestingly specific note given that John Lynch has stressed both sides desire to keep negotiations private, and has not commented on the dealings in public.
The issue at hand, Rapoport said, is whether Bosa will make more than Aaron Donald’s $31.67 million figure, and how to deal with a $25 million roster bonus that the Rams gave Donald, split over three years.
“This is a hard contract to do,” Rapoport said. “My understanding is 49ers are already over $30 million per year. They’re already over T.J. Watt. He is going to be the highest-paid pass rusher in the NFL. That is not the question.
“The question is, does he beat Aaron Donald’s contract of $31.7 million? That’s the biggest question. But that’s not just it. There was a $5 million roster bonus that Aaron Donald got when he decided not to retire. So how to account for that which is spread out over the years. It’s extremely complicated and trying to figure out where Aaron Donald came in, will help get this deal done. But the two sides obviously have a disconnect in how its configured.”
It should be noted that the 49ers’ three-day slate of practices leading up to the season opener begins on Wednesday. Bosa has obviously yet to practice for the team, meaning each day he misses is another missed practice opportunity.