The 49ers are headed toward a salary cap crunch next offseason and there may be some high-profile cap casualties. This might be the chief reason that Nick Bosa isn’t signed yet, as the Niners are likely trying to forecast for future seasons while negotiating a potentially market-setting deal with their star edge rusher.
On Tuesday’s edition of 95.7 The Game’s “Steiny & Guru”, Larry Krueger filled in for Daryle ‘The Guru’ Johnson and threw out a big-picture hypothetical to co-host Matt Steinmetz.
“It’s so easy to just say, ‘Sign him! Don’t worry about tomorrow, sign him today!’” Krueger said of Bosa. “Let’s throw it out there. If that meant that this was the last year of (tight end George) Kittle, (receiver Brandon) Aiyuk and (fullback Kyle) Juszczyk, would you still be screaming, ‘Just sign him!’ Or next year will you be saying about Aiyuk, ‘Just sign him! And just bring back George! And just re-sign Juice!’ It’s a hard cap, so there’s give and take.”
As Krueger noted, a big Bosa deal could hinder the Niners’ efforts to keep the gang together. According to Spotrac, Kittle is due to have a cap hit of $19.8 million in 2024 and Juszczyk is due to have a cap hit of $7.6 million in 2024.
The Niners also picked up Aiyuk’s fifth-year option for $14.1 million in 2024, but the wide receiver could hold out like Bosa for a hefty extension heading into the final year of his rookie deal next summer. For all we know, quarterback Brock Purdy could also demand a re-worked contract if he has another good season and isn’t content making $1 million in 2024.
NFL teams are known to kick the can down road and do financial gymnastics with the cap, but general manager John Lynch and his staff will likely have some major decisions to make to keep this roster together as long as possible.
