49ers’ Nick Bosa unlikely to practice at training camp while seeking new deal, GM John Lynch says

The 49ers opened training camp this week with quarterback Brock Purdy fully cleared following offseason elbow surgery. But San Francisco did not have arguably its best player in pass rusher Nick Bosa, who is not expected to partake in practice while seeking a contract extension, general manager John Lynch told reporters Tuesday.

“We’re working,” Lynch said of contract talks with Bosa, per NBC Sports. “We’re having really good communication. … We’re working diligently to try to come to an agreement. I think the challenge is you’re talking about a real special player. You’re talking about one of the better players in the league. You could argue that (should) simplify things, but I think at times it’s just finding that sweet spot.”

Due a fully guaranteed $17.9 million under his fifth-year option in 2023, Bosa is scheduled to hit free agency after the season. Fresh off a career year in which he led the NFL with 18.5 sacks and won Defensive Player of the Year, the three-time Pro Bowler is expected to reset the market for pass rushers going on 26.

Salary cap expert Joel Corry previously suggested Bosa’s representation will seek to make the former first-round pick the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback, ahead of Rams star Aaron Donald, who averages $31.7M per year: “It wouldn’t be a surprise,” Corry argued, “if (his agent) had $35M per year as his salary floor for a new deal.”

Certainly Bosa will at least attempt to become the highest-paid edge player, eclipsing the Steelers‘ T.J. Watt ($28M) and older brother Joey Bosa, of the Chargers, who averages $27M per year on a five-year extension he signed in 2020.

The younger Bosa has been one of the NFL’s most disruptive defenders since entering as a No. 2 overall pick in 2019. He was limited to just two games in 2020 due to an ACL tear but has otherwise totaled 43 sacks, 56 tackles for loss and 106 QB hits in 43 games. The headliner of one of the league’s most dominant defensive fronts, Bosa said earlier this offseason he expects to stay in San Francisco long-term, with Lynch echoing optimism about striking a lucrative agreement.