Former Ohio State and current San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension to stay with the franchise on Wednesday, a historic deal that will make him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history. The contract, first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, also includes $122.5 million guaranteed.
Bosa’s extension comes after the two sides were unable to strike an agreement on a deal during the offseason, a stalemate that stretched into the summer and led the reigning AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year to sit out the entirety of training camp. The deal now gives Bosa an annual salary of $34 million per year, $2.3 million more than Los Angeles Rams’ defensive tackle, who will make $31.7 million this season. His extension also exceeds the five-year, $135 million deal his brother, Joey, currently has with the Los Angeles Chargers
Bosa, 25, is coming off his most prolific NFL season, where he earned a first-team All-Pro honor and Pro Bowl honors after posting a league-high 18.5 sacks along with 51 tackles and two forced fumbles and 58 quarterback pressures. The No. 2 overall selection in the 2019 NFL Draft also took home the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award that season after recording 9 sacks, 47 tackles and 25 quarterback hits.
A four-star prospect out of Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) St. Thomas Aquinas, Bosa experienced a productive three-year career at Ohio State (2016-2018). He earned 77 tackles, 29 tackles-for-loss and 17.5 sacks while donning the Scarlet and Gray, helping the Buckeyes secure a 36-5 combined record and a College Football Appearance in 2016.
Now, the former Buckeye edge rusher will look to earn his contract by leading a formidable 49ers defense that ranked No. 1 in scoring defense last season at 17.2 points per game
