Nick Bosa is undoubtedly one of the best defensive players in the National Football League. One year after T.J. Watt was crowned the Defensive Player of the Year, it was Bosa who claimed this prestigious award in 2022 after an 18.5-sack performance and leading his team to the top-ranked scoring defense last year. Now the Pittsburgh Steelers were hoping to dodge a heat-seeking missile in Week 1.
The Steelers will soon be lacing up for a pivotal home matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Despite the dominant showing Mike Tomlin's team had this summer during the preseason, they open the year as home underdogs to one of the best teams in the league from a season ago.
Just when it looked like luck was about to be on their side, were hit with a bombshell. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Bosa has agreed to a five-year, $170 million contract with San Francisco. This comes just hours after a report from Ian Rapoport noted that he still wasn't at the facility and that a deal might not get done.
Source: Nick Bosa has agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension with the San Francisco 49ers, including $122.5 million guaranteed, by a wide margin. It will make him the highest-paid defensive player in history. pic.twitter.com/bRm6S9Eemf
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 6, 2023
After a long summer of contract disputes, Bosa officially inked his deal. Unfortunately for the Steelers, this means he will be suiting up in Pittsburgh this Sunday. Mike Tomlin's task just got a bit more difficult.
Bosa's new contract puts T.J. Watt's to shame, as Bosa will earn $34 million per season in new annual earnings with a whopping $122.5 million in guarantees. When Watt signed his extension just before his DPOY season in 2021, it was for $28 million per year in new money with $80 million in guarantees.
Throughout the offseason, the 49ers have been in a sticky situation when it comes to contract negotiations with their DPOY. After going above and beyond on his rookie contract and earning a whopping and earning 34.0 sacks over the past two seasons, Bosa has officially reset the edge defender market in the NFL.
Steelers won't catch a break vs 49ers... but that's OK
As you can imagine, Mike Tomlin admitted that he was already preparing as if Bosa was going to suit up in this contest. This was the right mentality to have, and it's a good thing he did. The Steelers played their starters more than most teams this preseason, so they should be well-prepared for Week 1.
Obviously, it would have been nice for the sake of the Steelers if San Francisco was missing their best player for Week 1. At the same time, we would love to see T.J. Watt one-up Bosa in this contest and remind him who's the best edge defender in the league.
It's always best to beat an opponent when they are at full strength, but Tomlin is going really make sure he accounts for Bosa. Regardless of how much practice time he has missed this summer, he's capable of being a game-wrecker at the drop of a hat. The ambidextrous pass rusher could give both Chukwuma Okorafor and Dan Moore fits if the Steelers don't offer help this week.
Nick Bosa's presence on the field will prove to be huge for the 49ers this week, but it's not like the Pittsburgh Steelers don't have a 'Nick Bosa' of their own in T.J. Watt. With how good Mike Tomlin's team has looked all summer, let's hope they can start the season on the right note -- regardless of who's suiting up for the 49ers this week.