Who is Nick Bosa (#97)? 49ers linebacker | Salary, contract, college, draft position, height

As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their Super Bowl clash with the Kansas City Chiefs, we’re taking a closer look at the team’s star defensive lineman.

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Paul Rudder

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Update: Feb 1st, 2024 14:06 EST

The former Buckeyes star has become a central part of the Niners’ defense and truthfully, is one of the major reasons that the team now stands just one win away from being crowned champions. Yet, who is Nick Bosa? Let’s find out.

Nick Bosa’s journey to the NFL

After showing immense promise in high school where he became a multi-year first-team state player, it was clear that Nick Bosa was one to watch. The son of former NFL player, John Bosa, the future defensive star committed to Ohio State as a five-star recruit and it didn’t take long for him to prove he was worth the hype. Indeed, Bosa would play in all 13 games of his freshman year, registering 29 tackles and 5 sacks. Naturally, he was given the starting job in his sophomore year, but unfortunately, he was derailed by an operation following a core muscle injury which led to him missing his entire junior year.

Confirmed: #49ers Nick Bosa was built in a laboratory 🥼 pic.twitter.com/icHN2RCnjP
— 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙎𝙁𝙉𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 (@TheSFNiners) January 28, 2024

Surprisingly, Bosa chose to forgo his senior year, opting instead to enter the 2019 NFL Draft. To be fair, it was on the back of being named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten and the Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year, in 2017 for his 32 total tackles (14.5 for a loss) and a team-leading 7 sacks.

So, who drafted Nick Bosa?

Jake Moody's 49ers contract

SUPER BOWL 2024

Kansas City Chiefs contracts' explained

That would be the San Francisco 49ers, who drafted Bosa in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He was the 2nd overall pick of that year’s Draft behind quarterback Kyler Murray. Standing at 6′4′ and weighing in at 266 lbs, Bosa took the league by storm in his first season, playing in all 16 games with 14 starts. Across those contests, he registered 47 tackles (16 for loss), nine sacks, one interception, two passes defensed, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble. That effort was good enough to see him named both Rookie of the Year and Defensive Rookie of the Year following that first year.

What about Nick Bosa’s contract?

Back on September 8th, 2023, Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension with the 49ers. Where guarantees are concerned, the 26-year-old received $122.5 million in guarantees of which $88 million is fully guaranteed at signing. In addition to that, Bosa also received a $50 million signing bonus with his 2023 base salary guaranteed. Here and now in 2024, Bosa has a guarantee on his base salary: $500,000 in per-game bonuses and a $15.23 million option bonus.