Nick Bosa

Career StatsA-

Year	Team	GP	Sacks	Tkl	TFL
Career		85	64.5	278	43
2025		3	2.0	17	2.5
2024		14	9.0	52	7
2023		17

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

This B CVI reflects a fair deal for an elite pass rusher, though the 49ers are paying a premium that pushes the boundaries of market value. Bosa's Pro Bowl-caliber production absolutely warrants franchise-tag money, but $34M AAV represents the absolute ceiling for what even an elite edge rusher should command in today's market. At 26, he's entering his prime years, making this the optimal window to lock up a cornerstone defensive player before age-related decline becomes a factor. The $88M guaranteed portion creates significant dead money risk if injuries derail his career trajectory, but the 49ers needed to secure their defensive anchor before he hit unrestricted free agency. While this isn't the steal that Myles Garrett's extension was for Cleveland, it's a defensible investment in a player who consistently generates pressure and fits perfectly into San Francisco's defensive scheme – the kind of move championship-caliber teams make to maintain their window.

Performance Analysis

Nick Bosa, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, has spent seven seasons establishing himself as one of the most disruptive defensive forces in the modern game, serving as the unquestioned cornerstone of San Francisco's defensive front. Earning an A- performance grade across his body of work, Bosa occupies elite territory among edge rushers in the NFC and has functioned as a perennial Defensive Player of the Year contender, having claimed the award outright in 2022. His career arc is defined by sustained dominance rather than flash-in-the-pan production, and even with a slight step back in the current campaign grading out at a B-, his 85-game résumé demands that any single-season snapshot be viewed through a wider lens. Bosa's current numbers remain formidable even against a more measured 2025 performance — his 0.83 tackles for loss per game more than doubles the NFL average of 0.30 and comfortably surpasses the elite threshold of 0.58, underscoring his continued ability to wreck backfields at a rate few pass rushers in the league can match. His sack rate of 0.67 per game sits just a hair below the elite benchmark of 0.68 and is nearly double the league average of 0.34, meaning any narrative of decline needs to be tempered considerably. The most legitimate concern heading into the back half of this season is consistency and availability, as Bosa's trajectory from an A in 2023 to an A- in 2024 and now a B- in 2025 suggests a gradual plateauing that warrants monitoring, even if the floor remains well above what most edge rushers produce on their best days. The comparison that fits Bosa best at this stage of his career is a slightly more compact version of Myles Garrett — a player capable of taking over games but one whose surrounding cast and health will largely dictate whether he recaptures that 2022 ceiling. If the 49ers can maintain continuity along their defensive line and Bosa stays healthy through a full postseason push, a return to A-range production in 2026 is well within reach. The talent and motor are unquestionably still there; the question now is whether his body and circumstance will allow him to perform at the apex of his considerable ability on a week-to-week basis.

Current Sentiment

Nick Bosa enters the 2026 offseason under a cloud of serious concern after reports emerged that he suffered a torn ACL late in the 2025 season, an injury that fundamentally alters the near-term outlook for both the player and the San Francisco 49ers defense. As a two-time major award winner and one of the highest-paid defensive players in the league, Bosa's baseline reputation remains that of a generational pass rusher, but the severity of an ACL tear introduces legitimate questions about his availability and effectiveness heading into the new season. The media narrative has shifted noticeably, with multiple outlets placing Bosa on lists of veterans whose roster futures are uncertain and even floating the idea of signing his brother Joey Bosa as a contingency option — a storyline that underscores how precarious the situation has become. On a more forward-looking note, the 49ers' selection of defensive end Romello Height in the third round of the 2026 draft signals that the organization is proactively building depth at the position, which could be interpreted as either prudent planning or a subtle hedge against Bosa's uncertain return timeline. Overall, fan and media sentiment remains respectful of Bosa's elite track record, but the dominant conversation is defined by injury concern and roster speculation rather than the dominant on-field performance that characterized his peak seasons.