The San Francisco 49ers have seen consistent success over the past four years, making the NFC Championship Game three times and the Super Bowl once, despite not having an elite solution at quarterback.
Instead, they've maneuvered their way through the NFL Draft, acquiring stars such as Fred Warner, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Arik Armstead, Dre Greenlaw, and Jimmie Ward, all of whom earned a second contract extension with the team.
Now, those extension talks didn't all go smoothly, as Samuel requested a trade last offseason, while the 49ers were at odds with Kittle during negotiations.
However, the 49ers are soon to face their toughest task of them all: extending star edge rusher Nick Bosa, who could be in line to demand the biggest contract for a defensive player in NFL history, following a 2022 campaign where he earned the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award.
At the conclusion of the season, general manager John Lynch briefly spoke about ongoing contract negotiations with Bosa, stressing patience, but also the impression that the star would be a 49er for years to come.
Speaking with media at the NFL's annual meetings on Monday, Lynch iterated a similar sentiment regarding Bosa's contract extension talks, adding that the process will likely require patience.
"He's training. He's doing what Nick Bosa does, like a madman," Lynch said, "and we're going to address his contract at some point. I know that it will take persistence, it will take patience, all the things I said before."
Lynch didn't take anything away from his star edge rusher, while mentioning the 49ers' track record with extensions as a form of reassurance, despite some disputes that occurred during prior negotiations.
"He's a really good player who's going to get everything that he's earned and deserves, and I do like our track record of getting them done," Lynch said. "They don't come as quick as you'd like sometimes."
At the moment, Lynch couldn't provide a definitive timeline on a potential extension, as expected, but did indicate that the wait may not be as long as before.
"And this one, I don't know where that would be. I don't think that has to be the case, but we'll see where it goes. And just excited about Nick being part of us for a long time," Lynch added.
While Bosa will certainly cost a fortune to retain, there haven't been any deviations from the plan to sign him to a hefty extension, and it could potentially come sooner than later, providing the 49ers more clarity on their cap situation as they progress through the offseason.