Kyle Shanahan knows he has to prepare for every scenario, including the possibility that his San Francisco 49ers defense will take the field against the Pittsburgh Steelers on September 10 without its best player, Nick Bosa. The coach remains hopeful that a deal will be agreed upon before then but isn't dismissing the possibility.
"I can imagine anything," Shanahan told reporters on Wednesday. "Doesn't mean I like that picture. Of course not. You guys know how we feel about Nick, and we all know how good of a player he is. So hopefully, we can come to terms soon and get him here as fast as possible."
NFL Media's Steve Wyche doesn't think negotiations will drag into the season. He believes that the 49ers and Bosa will come to an agreement ahead of the Week 1 bout at Acrisure Stadium.
San Francisco is focused on winning a Super Bowl, and many believe that can't happen without Bosa.
"That's why I think this gets done," Wyche said Wednesday on KNBR. "... I just don't see this getting to a point where it doesn't get done. I could see this getting done before Week 1. Does that mean Nick Bosa is on a pitch count? Sure. But to me, this does not drag into the season."
Bosa recorded a league-high 18.5 sacks last season, earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. A lot of what the 49ers defense does depends on Bosa causing chaos up front. Considering the team's high expectations for the upcoming season, his absence would be greatly missed.
"I'm surprised this has not gotten done yet," Wyche said. "Can they go Week 1 without Nick? Yeah. Week 2? Yeah. But you better get him there pretty soon after that."
Wyche added, "The deeper you get towards the playoffs, and in the playoffs, you've got to affect the quarterback, and nobody does that like Nick Bosa from the edge when they do a lot of those interior stunts. I mean, teams game plan for him. Offensive strategy meeting on Wednesday: 'Okay, where's Bosa? That's the first thing we've got to figure out. The first thing.'"
You can listen to the entire conversation with Wyche below.