Why the 49ers Could Trade Nick Bosa in 2026

Nick Bosa still is a good player. He's just not as good as the 49ers thought he'd be when they gave him a five-year, $170 million contract extension.

This season, Bosa had nine sacks, which would be great if he weren't making $34 million per year. His teammate, Leonard Floyd, had 8.5 sacks this season and the 49ers paid him just $12.5 sacks. Which means Bosa's production is replaceable and he might be worth more to the 49ers in a trade than on the field.

But it doesn't seem like the 49ers can trade Bosa this year. If they trade him before June 1, they won't save any cap space. In fact, they'll take on $72.8 million in dead cap.

But if the 49ers were to trade Bosa in 2026, they would save nearly $12.9 million in cap space. That's because his cap number will be an astronomical $42 million that year and he'll have no guaranteed money left on his deal.

If Bosa gets his usual 9 or 10 sacks in 2025 and the 49ers try to trade him in 2026, they might still be able to get a first-round pick for him despite his relatively modest production assuming he doesn't suffer a serious injury. He missed three games this season with an oblique injury and missed almost the entire 2020 season with a torn ACL.

The 49ers are an old, slow, injury-prone, expensive team. They need to get younger, faster, healthier and cheaper. Trading Bosa next year could help them accomplish that goal.

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