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Was Nick Bosa — just like almost everybody else who follows, observes, or is actually a rather important member of the 49ers — wondering what the heck was going on last offseason?
Why, yes, even Bosa was a bit baffled by the stream of teammates who suddenly became ex-49ers in March as payroll was slashed and an alternate timeline was launched.
A partial list of departures: Deebo Samuel, Javon Hargrave, Leonard Floyd, Dre Greenlaw, Maliek Collins, Charvarius Ward, Aaron Banks, Talanoa Hufanga.
Most notably to Bosa, when the dust cleared, he and Kevin Givens were the only two defensive linemen remaining from the roster that made it to the Super Bowl in February 2024. And Bosa was the only one who had ever been a full-time starter.
“I remember I was a little put-back when I saw it in the offseason,” Bosa told me Wednesday at his locker, after his main media session. “I forgot when it was, but I was definitely thinking, like, ‘What are we doing here?’
“But you’ve gotta reload. You’ve gotta get younger. I think you see a lot of other teams doing it and having guys that are flying around to the ball and that have this youthful thing to ’em. And I feel it.”
It’s a bit of a circle-of-NFL-life thing, too: Bosa was 21 when he arrived on the 49ers and was lined up next to DeForest Buckner, Arik Armstead, and Dee Ford in 2019. And now he has 21-year-old Mykel Williams slotted as his defensive-end partner in the starting lineup and 23-year-old defensive tackles Alfred Collins and CJ West in all those meetings and huddles, too.
Bosa is 27, heading into his seventh NFL season, and it’s not so much that he feels old with all these youngsters around him as the 49ers prepare for Sunday’s regular-season opener in Seattle. It’s just that, yeah, this is different — maybe energizing?
“Like, I didn’t realize I was … not that I’m that much older … but I didn’t realize that ‘young’ is 21 in this league,” Bosa said. “And just having young guys who are full of potential and talent, it’s how you get really good.”
The 49ers, of course, were quite bad last season, felled by a wave of injuries and a general loss of will as the losses piled up. They addressed this by committing much of their roster to younger, cheaper, and theoretically healthier players, but they haven’t avoided a torrent of injuries this summer.
The other part of it was underlined by Kyle Shanahan, who told me in July that he had most of the remaining veterans over to his house during the offseason program and told them things weren’t right in 2024. Shanahan didn’t point out a particularly bad game to illustrate this; he referred to the energy they all showed during Greenlaw’s inspiring return from an Achilles tear in a Dec. 12 loss to the Rams. But why just that game? And why did it go away when Greenlaw was sidelined again? Shanahan challenged the vets in that moment, including, he said, Bosa directly.
What was Shanahan communicating to you, Nick?
“Just that it can’t revolve around one player being in or out,” Bosa said. “We have to play with the intensity that has made us who we are over the years.”
Do you think there was a slippage of intensity last year?
“Yeah, yeah, I do. I think when you’re losing games and you’re losing confidence and you’re starting to play in meaningless — not meaningless, but in terms of playoff-contention, meaningless — things do slip, details slip,” Bosa said. “I think every person is guilty of losing a little bit of that focus and intensity.”
It’s not difficult to decipher Shanahan’s long-term strategy. With all these young players thrust into large roles this season, the 49ers need their best players to lead at every moment, not just some. That’s Fred Warner, George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Brock Purdy, Deommodore Lenoir, and others.
And definitely, that’s Bosa, who hasn’t always been comfortable issuing pithy sound bites. But he has gradually moved into a larger leadership role over the years, and now he acknowledges that it’s imperative.
“I think for me it’s really important, because I’m the only one in the D-line who has been around,” Bosa said. “Trent at least has Colton [McKivitz] and Jake ]Brendel], and some of the guys have been around — [Dominick] Puni was last year.
“But for us to be as good as we can be — and that’s winning a Super Bowl, because I think it’s very possible — I think that we have to lead the way for the young guys and show ’em the standard of how we play. And then they’ll have no choice but to elevate their game and join us.”
Bosa didn’t exactly say the words when he spoke to me or during his group interview session, but it’s clear he knows he has to elevate his own game, too.
He registered a league-leading 19.5 sacks in 2022, when he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, but after a long holdout, that total dropped to 10.5 in 2023, then to just 9.0 last year, when he missed three games due to injuries.
And absolutely, Bosa wants to get back to leading the league in sacks, among many other things.
“That would definitely be something I’m aiming for,” Bosa said in the group session. “I mean, I’m aiming for everything. I’ve reached the pinnacle of success as … I mean, there is no pinnacle.
“But I’ve won Defensive Player of the Year and not that that’s on my mind all the time — doing it again. But I just want to be dominant, and I want to be really thought of as one of the best, as what you would look for in this league, among your peers and coaches and players.”
In the last few years, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby, Micah Parsons, and others have generally been discussed as the best edge rushers in the league, possibly above Bosa. And up-and-comers like Will Anderson and Nik Bonitto are moving swiftly up the ranks.
Bosa paused when asked if he wants to get back into that conversation.
“Umm, maybe a little bit,” he said. “I think stats are a big thing, and obviously you have to get stats and be dominant to be thought of in that category. So yeah, I’m not losing sleep over it. I’m losing sleep over trying to get better and trying to help this team.”
On another front, Bosa grinned when I asked if he has noted the massive salaries that Watt, Garrett, Crosby, and especially Parsons recently landed — all topping Bosa’s $34.5-million average and ending his reign as the league’s top-paid defensive player.
Parsons didn’t just beat Bosa’s number after his trade to the Green Bay Packers, he obliterated it by logging in at $47 million a year.
“Great to see,” Bosa said. “It’s great to see. I talked to Micah at the Pro Bowl, and I said, ‘You’ve gotta push the needle, ’cause whenever you’re at the top of your game and you’re getting paid, it’s your opportunity and your responsibility to help the players that are coming after you.’”
He added, “Forty-seven. Yeah, he definitely pushed the needle.”
That’s what Bosa did for the market two years ago. He might not top what Parsons just got, because Bosa will never be in his mid-20s again. But if all goes well for Bosa, the 49ers, and all those youngsters over the next year or two, he’ll probably be pushing for something close.
And assuming the 49ers’ financial picture will be straightened out by then (or really, even if it’s not), Bosa will be well worth it.