Getty Nick Bosa warms up in Philadelphia on January 29, 2023.
The financial bar has just been reset for the San Francisco 49ers and Nick Bosa — courtesy of a team with past 49ers representation the New York Jets.
On the morning of Thursday, July 13, the AFC East team that’s led by former S.F. defensive coordinator Robert Saleh rewarded star interior defensive lineman Quinnen Williams with a blockbuster four-year, $96 million extension — first reported by the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapoport. Williams is additionally getting $66 million guaranteed. Per Pelissero, the 2022 Pro Bowler has the “largest second contract ever for a defensive tackle.”
The #Jets and All-Pro DT Quinnen Williams agreed to terms on a four-year, $96 million megadeal — the largest second contract ever for a defensive tackle, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
Williams gets $66 million in guarantees in the deal negotiated by @AgentNicoleLynn.
While Williams plays a much different spot in the trenches compared to Bosa, there’s now the belief that this raises the price for Bosa’s pending contract even higher.
Can Bosa Still Exceed the Highest Paid NFL Defender Even After Williams Deal?
To recap, Aaron Donald of the rival Los Angeles Rams remains the highest paid NFL defensive lineman. The Super Bowl 56 winner and three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year is paid $31.7 million annually.
Now, Williams’ deal places him second among defensive tackles — as the Jets will now reward him with $24 million annually. Yet, Williams’ guaranteed money is more than the $65 million Donald was given by the Rams. But now the question becomes: Can the 49ers put together a deal that not only surpasses what Williams will now make, but also catapult Donald?
While Donald is the richest defensive lineman, the wealthiest defensive end is T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers. As 49ers insider for The Athletic David Lombardi pointed out, Bosa and the 49ers could still create a deal that surpasses what the five-time Pro Bowler Watt earns.
“The highest-paid DE remains T.J. Watt at $28 million annually. Nick Bosa’s new contract with the 49ers will alost certainly surpass that. The question is: Will Bosa’s APY (annual per year) exceed Aaron Donald’s?” Lombardi asked via Twitter. “For now, Donald remains the huge outlier for all D-linemen, not just DTs.”
However, Lombardi added how Williams’ deal was really designed to make him richer than a two-time Pro Bowler from the same conference.
“Wild: Aaron Donald’s deal is such an outlier, Quinnen Williams didn’t even negotiate with it as a reference point. Instead Williams’ contract was crafted to beat [Tennessee Titans defensive tackle] Jeffery Simmons,” Lombardi stated.
Tracing over back to Bosa, does Lombardi believe that he still has a chance to surpass “A.D?”
“With a ~$30m valuation, Nick Bosa has a much better shot to negotiate with Donald as a reference point,” Lombardi said.
49ers Twitter Urges Movement for Bosa’s Deal
Now that Williams is signed away, Saleh is all but assured the Jet will be reporting to training camp on time.
Meanwhile, Bosa and the 49ers are yet to finalize a deal with camp two weeks away in Santa Clara. Fans of the 49ers rushed to Twitter urging their team to pay Bosa.
Today would be a great day to pay Nick Bosa
For what it’s worth, this process is beginning to follow a similar path involving two other All-Pros on the 49ers.
Last offseason, Deebo Samuel and the Niners finally managed to work out a deal on the eve of training camp in late July. George Kittle signed his extension on August 15 of 2020. Perhaps Bosa may be the third to earn his deal during or before camp starts. But with Williams’ new deal, the price likely just went up on Bosa.