- Programming note: Watch "49ers Game Plan" on NBC Sports Bay Area on Wednesday immediately following "Giants Postgame Live," and again on NBC Bay Area at 7:30 p.m. PT.
Nick Bosa still is itching for his first sack of the 2023 NFL season, but 49ers general manager John Lynch anticipates it won't be much longer.
Lynch sat down with Greg Papa on NBC Sports Bay Area's "49ers Game Plan," where he discussed how special the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is to the team.
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"Your best players are your hardest workers," Lynch told Papa. "It's really easy for coaches, an organization, and for a team to function at a high level when your best players are setting the tone and setting the example. ... So Nick, he's a special talent. Everybody knows that. You just turn on the tape and [you see] the guy was made to play D-line. The way he moves, his hand use, how technical of a player [he is], his athleticism, the ground he gains on his first steps, the quickness with the strength, the power, the speed, he's got it all.
" ... Anyone who says he's not on his game, I mean it's not always the results, but if you just look at his pressures, his quick win rate, he's playing at a high level. The sacks are coming. He's a special player and I'm so thrilled to have him for a long time."
Bosa's lengthy contract holdout this summer ended four days before the start of the season, when he agreed to a contract extension that made him the richest defensive player in NFL history. He ultimately signed a five-year deal worth $170 million.
The 25-year-old led the NFL in sacks last season (18.5), but Lynch and the 49ers see no signs of him slowing down anytime soon.
San Francisco 49ers
"I kept saying it was going to take a special contract, it took longer than we had hoped, darn near killed me, and I know it was tough on Nick, but we're glad we got it done," Lynch said. "And everything was forgotten because I know who that guy is as a player, as a person, and how much he loves being a part of the Niners. And how much we love having him on the Niners. So great to have him back."
Even without a sack, Bosa certainly has been disruptive on the field. He had a tackle for loss and three quarterback hits in San Francisco's Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Rams.
While contract extension negotiations persisted for far longer than expected, Bosa was away from the team for all of training camp. Defensive coordinator Steve Wilks believes that could be a reason for Bosa's "slow" start, but he isn't worried.
“I think you’d probably have to ask him and he’ll tell you he’s definitely not satisfied with where he is,” Wilks said in his Tuesday press conference. “But as a coach, understanding that he wasn’t here all offseason and to come in and take 32 snaps in the first game, I believe it was, and play last week.
"So, it’s going to come. You saw the effort there, you saw the push across the board with those guys. Again, Stafford was getting rid of the ball so fast so I think it’s only a time, only a matter of time.”
It's only a matter of time until Bosa hits his iconic celebration after his first (of many) sackaroonis.