NFL Rumors: 49ers’ Nick Bosa Drew Trade Interest from 5 Teams Before Signing Contract

The San Francisco 49ers paid Nick Bosa this offseason, but some teams around the league reportedly went through their due diligence in case they didn’t.

According to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer, “five teams actually called the 49ers trying to trade for Bosa, thinking the deal wasn’t going to get done.”

It certainly seemed like the deal might not get done for stretches of this offseason just from a timing perspective.

After all, it wasn’t until Wednesday that ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Bosa and the 49ers agreed to a five-year, $170 million contract extension that featured $122.5 million in guarantees. The deal made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.

Holding out the entirety of training camp and the preseason may be an ideal way to get a new deal as a star player, but it could limit him in Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Glazer said he will push to play the entirety of the contest but that San Francisco could put him on something of a pitch count.

That makes sense considering he didn’t sign the deal and join the team until days before the start of the campaign.

It comes as no surprise that other teams would have been interested in paying the Ohio State product.

There are few players in the entire league who are as impactful as him, and he is just 25 years old and likely in the middle of his peak performing years. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year is coming off a season that saw him post 51 tackles, a league-best 18.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass defended.

Bosa’s presence also makes life much easier for his teammates, as he consistently draws double teams and opens up blitzing lanes elsewhere.

San Francisco likely could have received quite a haul in a return package if it did decide to trade him, but the two sides came to terms on a record-breaking deal and will now pursue a Super Bowl title after losing in the NFC Championship Game a season ago.