Nick Bosa’s holdout hangover: Is his contract dispute to blame for his slow start? – Marca English
The San Francisco 49ers started the 2023 season with high expectations and star defensive end Nick Bosa is no exception when it comes to setting lofty standards for himself.
However, as we head into the second half of the season, Bosa admits he hasn’t met his own performance expectations, and he believes that his extended contract holdout during training camp might be partly to blame.
In an interview with The Athletic on Wednesday, Bosa shared his thoughts on how his holdout may have impacted his early-season performance, saying, “I think a little bit.”
He continued, “I think I’m trying to work on stuff on the run this year that I wasn’t able to do in camp. So, those games that I mentioned, the two, I think I was thinking too much because I was trying to add something to my rush plan which is not what I want to be doing during the season. I want to be locked in on what I do best and just doing it throughout the whole year. But there’s no excuse at this point for that.”
Bosa emphasized that his focus and mindset haven’t been where he wants them to be during the 49ers’ first seven games.
He pointed to his struggles in the Week 1 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns as evidence.
Bosa maintains impressive performance metrics
He currently holds a remarkable 92.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus (PFF), making him the second-highest-rated edge defender in the league.
Furthermore, Bosa’s17 quarterback hits are a team-high for the Niners, and his 29 quarterback pressures are tied for the team lead and rank 14th in the NFL, alongside notable names like Aaron Donald and Maxx Crosby.
Talking about sacks in his stat sheet Bosa said “I try not to equate them hand-in-hand, because like you said, it’s not an exact correlation, at all.”
He continued: “I think I played really good games this year that haven’t been sack games. And then I mentioned Cleveland; I got one sack, and that was one of my worst games. I think if you just stay the course, they’ll eventually come if you’re putting yourself in the right positions. I’m trying to continue to play up to my standard, and I think those will come. It’s a really long year, so hopefully in the biggest moments is when they come.”
In September, Bosa signed a lucrative five-year, $170 million contract extension, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the NFL.
This extension followed his remarkable 2022 season, during which he posted a career-high 18.5 sacks.
Bosa’s severely low sack tally
Nonetheless, Bosa’s2023 season has been less prolific in terms of sacks.
He has had four games without a sack and is currently on pace for just six sacks this year.
According to Next Gen Stats, his pressure rate this season has dipped to a career-low of 12.8%.
Bosa is still creating pressure and affecting quarterbacks, but he hasn’t been able to convert those pressures into the sacks that he’s known for, which play a pivotal role in San Francisco’s defensive scheme.
Despite the statistics and performance metrics, Bosa remains relentless in his pursuit of excellence, asserting, “I don’t think I’ve, like you said, I’m hard on myself, I don’t think I’ve played a great game yet.”
As the 49ers aim to bounce back from their recent two-game losing streak, they have an opportunity to improve their sack numbers when they face the Cincinnati Bengals after their bye week this Sunday.
