Report: 49ers DE Nick Bosa may miss Week 1

With the NFL season right around the corner, the biggest storyline for the San Francisco 49ers is the absence of defensive end Nick Bosa, who has held out the entire offseason without a contract extension.

The 49ers have expressed a desire to have him in the building as soon as possible, but worries are starting to mount with the season starting in just seven days when San Francisco travels to Pittsburgh for Week 1.

What's the latest with Bosa and the 49ers' contract negotiations?

Going on SportsCenter this morning, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler shared the latest with the 49ers' and their pursuit of an extension for Nick Bosa, sharing that there's a little more optimism than the Kansas City Chiefs have with a Chris Jones extension at the moment.

"Nick Bosa and the 49ers, a bit more optimism here," Fowler said on SportsCenter when discussing the latest with contract extensions for elite defensive players around the NFL. "People I talk to believe he will be the highest defensive player in the league, above [Aaron] Donald's $31+ million if they can get this at the finish line. The 49ers would like to push this through before Week 1, but not a slam dunk. A deal of this magnitude has a lot of nuance to it that they have to shake out with the structure and the guarantees and all that."

The news comes after reports surfaced that the 49ers and Bosa were trying to bridge a $4 million-per-year gap as the two sides look to strike a deal before Week 1.

A potential wrinkle in the 49ers plans could be the lack of momentum with other pass-rushing deals around the NFL, such as the Chiefs with Jones and the Carolina Panthers with defensive end Brian Burns, as Bosa may not look to be the first player to sign a deal.

But, it certainly would be to the 49ers' benefit, given the deadline of Week 1 approaching quickly.

Will Bosa and the 49ers strike a deal before Week 1?