The San Francisco 49ers have a crucial season coming up, with some questioning just how good the team might be. After a somewhat down year for the 49ers‘ standards last season, there are fair questions about the team moving forward.
However, if everything goes as planned for San Francisco, it should be one of the better teams in the NFL, like in previous years besides 2024.
Despite that, some don’t believe in the 49ers, and that’s due to a few players on the roster. For Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon, one of those is Nick Bosa. He even went as far as saying that Bosa is one of the most overpaid players in the NFL, citing that while he might be a Hall of Famer, he hasn’t been as dominant as he should be over the past few years.
“Bosa may eventually be a Hall of Famer, and he remains one of the most dangerous defensive players in the game. That doesn’t mean he isn’t overpaid.
“The fact is, the five-time Pro Bowler has been a first-team All-Pro just once. That 2022 season was also his only campaign with an approximate value above 12 (the teens are usually reserved for the top handful of players at the edge defender position), and it was one of only two seasons on his resume with 12-plus sacks,” he wrote.
Is Nick Bosa Really Overpaid?
To suggest that Bosa hasn’t played well over the past few years is a bit unfair, considering he’s coming off a season where he had nine sacks and an interception. A year prior, he had 10.5 sacks, and a year before that, he had 18.5.
He didn’t play during the preseason, which made sense from the 49ers‘ perspective given the injuries they’ve dealt with. However, according to another 49ers star, Trent Williams, it sounds like Bosa has really impressed during training camp.
“I mean, it’s hard for me to say he’s on a different level [compared to other seasons]. For me, he’s been the best for a minute. I don’t want to say he’s on a different level. He’s Defensive Player of the Year; he looks like it every day.
“When he’s on that field, he’s the Nick we all know and love. One of the reasons why he is the one of the highest paid defensive players in the league. For me to be able to work with him every day, I’m really lucky and blessed to have him. Nick looks as dominant as he’s ever looked,” he said, per Henry Cheal of SI.
Is the 49ers Star Actually Underpaid?
Cheal went as far as stating that the San Francisco 49ers star is actually underpaid.
With players like Micah Parsons, Myles Garrett, and Trey Hendrickson, among others, all receiving salaries more than the NFL has ever seen for non-QBs, it’s entirely fair to suggest that instead of being overpaid, Bosa is underpaid.
“When he agreed the five-year, $170 million deal, he became the highest non-paid QB in the league.
“But now the 49ers look like they’ve hit the jackpot, especially given how rapidly the NFL’s inflation of certain positions grows year after year. Bosa’s preseason looks pretty calm. That could be a blessing in disguise as the season is quickly upon us. It’s worth noting that he is back with Robert Saleh, the coach who was instrumental in shaping his early career. That familiarity could help him reach new heights this season,” Cheal wrote.
49ers’ Nick Bosa Named Most Overpaid Edge Rusher in NFL