When healthy, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa remains one of the NFL's premier edge rushers. After a dominant 2022 campaign in which he led the league with 18.5 sacks, Bosa earned NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors and was rewarded with a five-year, $170 million contract extension.

At the time, it made him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.


Since then, Bosa has continued to be productive, but he has yet to replicate the elite level of play he displayed during his award-winning season. His 2025 campaign was cut short after just three games when he suffered the second ACL injury of his NFL career.

Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon named the 10 worst contracts in the NFL heading into the 2026 season, and Bosa's deal made the list, coming in at No. 4.

"The 28-year-old's production fell off markedly in back-to-back seasons before he missed all but three games in 2025," Gagnon wrote. "It appears he peaked as Defensive Player of the Year in 2022."

However, history suggests Bosa shouldn't be counted out. After tearing his ACL in 2020, he returned in 2021 and recorded 15.5 sacks, quickly reestablishing himself as one of the league's most disruptive pass rushers.

Still, if Bosa is unable to return to his previous form, the financial implications could be significant for the 49ers.


"They'd have to pay Bosa just shy of $50 million simply to move on after the 2026 campaign, which likely means he's locked in at a current cap hit of $54.9 million for his age-30 campaign (highest by a mile among defensive players)," Gagnon added.

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