49ers finally get that massive contract done with Nick Bosa

The 49ers and Nick Bosa finally reached an agreement on a massive five-year, $170 million extension.

At least the San Francisco 49ers can clear away one looming cloud with the start of the 2023 regular season just around the corner.

After a months-long standoff with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, All-Pro defensive end Nick Bosa, the contractual holdout for the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft finally came to a close on Wednesday with ESPN announcing that Bosa had inked a five-year, $170 million contract extension.

The new contract has over $122 million in guaranteed cash, and the annual average value of $34 million is almost $3 million more per year than the next highest-paid defender, Los Angeles Rams All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Bosa, who led the league with 18.5 sacks a year ago, skipped both training camp and the preseason with his holdout.

Now, the question is whether or not he'll be prepared and available for when the Niners open up their regular season against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, Sept. 10.

According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, speaking to reporters shortly after news of the extension broke, said that Bosa is "trying to get here as fast as possible."

Related story: Latest rumor says Nick Bosa is close to new contract, may play vs. Steelers

Earlier during training camp, Shanahan told reporters that Bosa "didn't need a preseason" and mentioned how he sat out during those games anyway.

However, going against a challenging Steelers offensive in Week 1, it'll be interesting to see whether or not the 49ers place Bosa on a snap count, of sorts, to get his proverbial "football legs" back underneath him.

Either way, it's a massive boost for San Francisco to have its best defensive player on the field again.

Even if he's awfully expensive.

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