There are still a handful of star players out there that have yet to report to their respective teams amid ongoing contract negotiations. One of them is reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa, who is still in talks with the San Francisco 49ers for his new deal.
Kyle Shanahan Hoping to Get Nick Bosa Back ‘Next Week’
With the season now just a couple of weeks away, some concerns have been raised regarding Bosa’s fitness ahead of the 49ers’ Week 1 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers. For his part, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t seem to be worried.
At this point, the Niners shot-caller isn’t ready to make a decision on whether or not he will play Bosa in Week 1. Shanahan, however, has revealed his target return date for his star defensive lineman:
“I don’t,” Shanahan told Tom Tolbert and Ray Ratto (h/t David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone). “I’ve never had to make that decision before, and I won’t make that until I see him. I mean, I’m gonna do everything I can [to see] that he plays against Pittsburgh, but I can’t make that decision until you see a guy, you see him out there.
“Hopefully, we get a chance to get him into practice next week, and if he is, that’ll make it a much easier decision for us.”
In spite of the fact that Shanahan can’t be sure about what type of shape Bosa is currently in, the 49ers coach is confident that the All-Pro DL has been using his time wisely in the offseason:
“I think he’s been in that shape since he was probably two-and-a-half years old, and he continues to work at it,” Shanahan said. “So I know he’ll be in shape. I know he’ll be ready to go. It’s just when he gets here, and making sure he’s in football shape, and we don’t do anything that jeopardizes not having him later.”
49ers GM on Nick Bosa Contract Negotiations: ‘It’s Healthy’
In a recent interview, Niners general manager John Lynch was asked to provide an update on the negotiations between Bosa and the front office. Unfortunately, the high-ranking 49ers executive refused to provide any details. He did reassure the fans, though, that talks have been productive:
“There’s no updates there,” Lynch said. “What I’ll tell you is that the communication is ongoing, it’s good, it’s healthy, and we’re working to try to get something done. I don’t have any more updates other than that.
“… This thing’s active, ongoing. The good thing is we’ve promised each other, both sides, that we’re going to keep this thing in-house, and I want to hold true to that. That’s important to me. It’s important to them. And so I’m just going to try to say as little as possible and that we’re working hard to try to bring it to resolution.”
Much like Shanahan, Lynch also isn’t worried about Nick Bosa’s fitness level. Lynch is confident that “he’ll be ready” once Bosa returns to the squad.
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