Nick Bosa’s holdout worked — perhaps better than anyone could have imagined. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year stayed away from the San Francisco 49ers during the summer of 2023. Bosa’s holdout eventually led to him becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. What does his extension with the 49ers look like?
Nick Bosa’s Contract Details and Bonuses
Bosa’s five-year deal with San Francisco has a total value of $170 million and contains $122.5 million in guarantees. Of that amount, $110 million is fully guaranteed for cap, injury, and skill, including a $50 million signing bonus.
Bosa made his history — in more ways than one — when he signed his new pact, immediately earning more on an annual basis than any other edge rusher, defensive player, or non-quarterback in the league.
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He’s now collecting $34 million per season, blowing away the rest of the rest of the edge defender market, where T.J. Watt’s $28 AAV was the previous high. Bosa received $20 million more in total guarantees and $10 million more in full guarantees than any other EDGE.
But Bosa’s real goal was to reach — and surpass — Aaron Donald, whose contract with the Los Angeles Rams was so expensive ($31.67 million annually) that it had been viewed as an outlier. Bosa stormed past Donald’s salary and set a new contractual stratosphere.
Let’s break down Bosa’s deal by year.
2023
- Base salary: $1.01 million
- Signing bonus proration: $10 million
- Cap hit: $11.01 million
- Yearly cash: $51.01 million
- Running cash: $51.01 million
2024
- Base salary: $1.13 million
- Signing bonus proration: $10 million
- Option bonus proration: $3.046 million
- Per-game roster bonuses: $500,000
- Cap hit: $14.67 million
- Yearly cash: $16.86 million
- Running cash: $67.86 million
2025
- Base salary: $1.17 million
- Signing bonus proration: $10 million
- Option bonus proration: $8.85 million
- Per-game roster bonuses: $500,000
- Cap hit: $20.52 million
- Yearly cash: $30.69 million
- Running cash: $98.55 million
2026
- Base salary: $22.68 million
- Signing bonus proration: $10 million
- Option bonus proration: $8.85 million
- Per-game roster bonuses: $500,000
- Cap hit: $42.03 million
- Yearly cash: $23.18 million
- Running cash: $121.7 million
2027
- Base salary: $32.68 million
- Signing bonus proration: $10 million
- Option bonus proration: $8.85 million
- Per-game roster bonuses: $500,000
- Cap hit: $52.03 million
- Yearly cash: $33.18 million
- Running cash: $154.91 million
2028
- Base salary: $33.5 million
- Option bonus proration: $8.85 million
- Per-game roster bonuses: $500,000
- Cap hit: $42.85 million
- Yearly cash: $34 million
- Running cash: $188.91 million
2029-2032
The 49ers used a void year in 2029. This is essentially a dummy season that doesn’t even have a base salary listed. It allows San Francisco to push some of Bosa’s prorated option bonus money farther into the future and creates a lane if the club wants to extend or restructure Bosa down the road.
If Bosa makes it all the way to the end of his contract without restructuring or getting extended, the 49ers would have to account for $5.8 million in dead money in 2029.
Guarantees
- $88 million
- Signing bonus + 2023 salary + 2024 salary + 2024 option bonus + 2025 salary + $18.695 million of 2025 option bonus
- Remaining $10 million of 2025 option bonus guarantees in April 2024
- 2026 salary guarantees in April 2025
- $764,421 of 2027 salary guarantees in April 2025