49ers preparing for the worst with Nick Bosa as Week 1 approaches
The 49ers continue to work to get a deal done with Nick Bosa, but it sounds as if something major will need to happen in the coming days for him to end his holdout in time to feature in the season opener with the Steelers. San Francisco resumed practice on Monday as they prepare for […]
The 49ers continue to work to get a deal done with Nick Bosa, but it sounds as if something major will need to happen in the coming days for him to end his holdout in time to feature in the season opener with the Steelers.
San Francisco resumed practice on Monday as they prepare for a Week 1 road game in Pittsburgh, and at this point the chances of Bosa making that trip appear in significant doubt following the latest report from NFL Media's Ian Rapoport.
"There is no deal yet for Nick Bosa," Rapoport said on NFL Network on Monday. "And I would say, similar to [Chiefs DT] Chris Jones, maybe without quite the amount of urgency, until there is a significant breakthrough, I do not expect Nick Bosa on the field for the San Francisco 49ers."
He added:
"It is a Monday, today. Tomorrow's Tuesday. And then Wednesday starts the game week. … And if he is not there Wednesday, obviously, it would not bode well for him being able to participate in this week's game. If there is anyone whose resolve you should never doubt, it is someone with the last name of Bosa. We will see if the 49ers and Bosa, who all want this done, we'll see if they're able to make it happen."
In other words, the 49ers have Tuesday to find a way to solve the issue that has remained the same throughout the process. The Niners and Bosa's representatives need to settle on a number relative to Aaron Donald's average annual salary of $31.6 million, which is the highest among defenders, that will satisfy the reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
Regardless of whether that number takes Bosa above Donald, they most likely to need to reach that resolution on Tuesday for the defensive end to have what most would deem as a realistic chance to play in the opener.
Bosa will take inspiration from Steelers star T.J. Watt, who signed his extension three days before the start of the 2021 season and then played a critical role in a Week 1 win over the Bills.
But there doesn't appear to be much optimism in the 49er locker room that Bosa will be under a new record-setting contract in time to face Pittsburgh.
Safety Talanoa Hufanga said after Monday's practice:
"For us, we just got to play with who we got. We would love to have Bosa, obviously. I think that's a no-brainer. Best defensive player in NFL, and it shows. For us, we've just got to prepare as if he's not going to be here. Obviously, that's an upper-echelon question; that's a front-office question. And so, for me, I don't know if I can answer anything else on that, but once he's here, we'd love to have him."
The Niners have a chance to lay down a marker right off the bat with victory over the Steelers, but doubts about their ability to claim such a win will increase if the front office can't answer the Bosa question in the affirmative in the very near future.
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Featured Image Credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
