It's Time for the 49ers to be Concerned With Nick Bosa's Holdout

Is it time to panic yet?

An entire preseason has come and gone, yet the 49ers have not reached an agreement on a contract extension with Nick Bosa. The holdout continues for Bosa as the 49ers strive to find common ground with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. And as of now, nothing seems imminent. 

"They're not there yet, and I don't get the sense they're close at all, so I don't get the sense anything is imminent," Ian Rapoport said on the "Pat McAfee Show" Monday morning. "But at least it sounds like there's been some level of conversation, I guess, which is as there should be. It's like there's been at least some touching base."

It's time for the 49ers to be concerned with Bosa's holdout.

The regular season is less than two weeks away. Time is of the essence. A deal needs to get done within the week. Going into Pittsburgh for Week 1 without Bosa will hurt the 49ers' chances of winning. They need his impact on the field. I fear, however, that there is a chance he could be out for that game. 

The reason Bosa has been holding out is because of the market. Several other elite defensive linemen are due for a lucrative extension like Bosa. This includes Chiefs' Chris Jones, Panthers' Brian Burns, and Dolphins' Christian Wilkins. Bosa is the better player of the bunch, so he is looking to be the last domino to fall with an extension. 

If he signs first, then he will have forfeit his chance to maximize his value. He is more than deserving to be the player who gets the most expensive deal. That is why, at least one reason, he isn't budging and why he and the 49ers aren't reportedly close. Can't say I blame Bosa for continuing his holdout. And I can't really fault the 49ers too much either. 

Bosa holds all the cards here, so unless he pulls a T.J. Watt from 2021 and storms into Jed York's office to get a deal done, he's going to continue to wait. Until then, the 49ers are at his mercy, which makes every passing day a growing concern with his holdout. Pretty soon this situation will turn into a chaotic panic.