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Off the market: Chiefs, Nick Bolton agree to contract

Originally posted on 49ers Webzone | By David Bonilla | Last updated Mar 9, 2025 2:55 PM ET

If the San Francisco 49ers were looking to make a splash in free agency by signing a replacement for linebacker Dre Greenlaw, Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton would have been an ideal target. Pro Football Network recently predicted the 49ers might pursue the star defender.

"It is intriguing to put a player like Nick Bolton next to Fred Warner," Pro Football Network's Ben Rolfe wrote. "Bolton was the centerpiece of the Chiefs' [defense] and has the chance to be Warner's long-term partner in the center of the 49ers defense."

However, that prediction will not come to fruition. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Bolton and the Chiefs have agreed to a three-year, $45 million deal to keep him in Kansas City.

The #Chiefs are keeping their star LB home: Sources say playmaker Nick Bolton and KC are in agreement on a deal to keep him with the team that drafted him.
He gets a 3-year, $45M deal with $30M fully guaranteed in a deal done by Tommy Condon of CAA. pic.twitter.com/49Xw6EdHJR
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2025

Bolton has recorded over 100 tackles in three of his four NFL seasons. Last year, he posted 106 tackles (11 for a loss), seven quarterback hits, three sacks, an interception, six passes defensed, and a forced fumble.

Meanwhile, Greenlaw is set to hit the open market on Wednesday. He played in just two games last season after recovering from a torn Achilles before another setback prematurely ended his 2024 campaign.

At the NFL Scouting Combine, general manager John Lynch emphasized the team's strong interest in retaining him but acknowledged that the 49ers would likely allow the veteran linebacker to test free agency.

"We're very interested in having Dre back, and [this is] one of those deals this time of year," Lynch said. "And we've had more time to do planning. But no matter how much planning you do, it always seems to—Dre should go out and see what's out there, and then we know where we have to be.

"You know how highly we think of Dre, and we'd love to have him back."

This article first appeared on 49ers Webzone and was syndicated with permission.

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