San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa didn't have much to say Wednesday about where things stand with a possible contract extension, but he did tell reporters he's been pleased with his offseason and is in better shape than last year after having to spend the early part of 2021 rehabbing from a torn ACL.
Bosa reported to the 49ers' mandatory minicamp this week after being away from the team throughout its voluntary offseason workout program and took some time to speak to reporters following Wednesday's practice session. Bosa is eligible for his first contract extension this offseason, which is expected to make him one of the highest-paid defensive players in the NFL whenever it comes to fruition. Talks haven't started yet on the extension but the 49ers have consistently expressed optimism over the chances of coming to a deal with Bosa, while Bosa himself hasn't spoken much about the issue when it's come up in the past. As can be seen in the rough transcript posted below of the Q&A he went through on the topic with reporters, Bosa wasn't ready to open up much about his contract situation on Wednesday.
Q: Do you have a sense of when (an extension) might take place?
Bosa: "I do not. No."
Q: Are you interested in when that might take place?
Bosa: "I'm sure I'll be notified."
Q: Is that something you'd like to get done (this offseason)?
Bosa: "I don't know. I've just been focusing on getting better. I'll let my agent worry about that."
But while Bosa didn't shed any light on where things stand with his contract, he was more specific about what he's been doing with his offseason. Bosa has been spending time working out in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and he's also been able to get some rest and relaxation in after having to go through injury rehab last year. Bosa told reporters he took some vacation time earlier in the offseason and also added a new boat to his recreation options.
"It was just a better overall offseason," Bosa said. "I was able to enjoy myself a little bit because I wasn't just grinding and resting, like I needed to with my knee. But now the knee's doing great. I'm able to go about my life normally, which is nice."
When it comes to training, Bosa said things have been more typical for him this year than in 2021 and that he'll be pivoting his workouts towards football in the weeks ahead.
"It was kind of just normal offseason training that I didn't really get to do last year as much," Bosa said. "I was kind of working my way back to being healthy. This year I was healthy from the start, so I took some time off and just got after it. Up to this point it's been mainly focusing on getting my body where it needs to be to play a long season. And from here on out, I'll be implementing a lot more football-specific stuff."
Bosa told reporters at the end of last season that he planned on getting himself in the best shape of his life this offseason, even after getting his body to that point in 2021. So, did he accomplish that goal?
"Most definitely," Bosa said. "Yeah."
That's certainly great news for the 49ers and not-so-great news for every team on their schedule. Bosa put together his best season as a pro in 2021, totaling 15.5 sacks while earning his second Pro Bowl selection in three seasons. Bosa is under contract with the 49ers through 2023, but odds are they'll do their best to lock him up for much longer than that before the 2022 season gets underway.
"I'm not too concerned with it," 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said Tuesday. "I fully expect Nick Bosa being here for a very long time."
