49ers vs. Buccaneers: Tom Brady has hilarious ask of Nick Bosa

Tom Brady and the Buccaneers visit the 49ers this Sunday, and the legendary quarterback had one comical request of the vaunted Nick Bosa.

Week 14 could have been one of the more storied matchups on the NFL calendar this season, particularly with legendary quarterback Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers returning to his native Northern California to face off against his boyhood team, the San Francisco 49ers.

That’ll still play out this Sunday, of course. But, with the Bucs struggling at 6-6 and the offense nowhere near as prolific as it was thought to be this year, this game might not be as electrifying.

And it would have been better if Brady had the chance to finally square off against his understudy back with the New England Patriots, now-Niners quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, except Garoppolo is now out for the long run with a foot injury suffered during last week’s victory over the Miami Dolphins.

Instead, fans will be treated to the quarterbacking matchup everyone wants to see (sarcasm included): Brady versus Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy.

However, there’s another matchup that Brady is paying attention to.

Tom Brady is already worried about 49ers EDGE Nick Bosa

Without getting too deep into the soft “roughing the passer” calls Brady has been known to command in recent seasons, it’s still fair to assume he’ll be cautious of San Francisco’s top pass-rushing force, Pro Bowl EDGE Nick Bosa.

Bosa leads the entire NFL with 14.5 sacks over just 11 games, and the bulk of his competition for the top sack-getting award this year has all played 12 games already.

Tack on another league-leading 34 quarterback hits, and Brady should be worried about Bosa. All to the point where he responded to an NFL posting on Instagram about Bosa’s prowess with three simple words (h/t @OurSF49ers on Twitter):

“Be nice Sunday,” Brady commented.

Read More: 49ers vs. Buccaneers: Week 14 betting odds, game prediction

It might be challenging for Bosa to “be nice” to the greatest quarterback of all time, a 49er fan from his days as a kid. But, with both teams’ defenses looking to set the tone in a contest that could have plenty of implications with regard to the NFC playoff picture, Bosa might only take Brady’s words to heart if it means he’ll record a couple of sacks without being flagged for one of those “iffy” personal fouls.

If that happens, Bosa played nice enough for the Niners’ standard.

San Francisco and Tampa Bay kick off on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 4:25 p.m. ET from Levi’s Stadium.