Fred Warner literally yelled “Yippee!”
Like he was a kid getting a bike for his birthday.
That was the vibe in the 49ers’ locker room on Wednesday. Nick Bosa’s monumental, five-year, $170 million extension was a present for his teammates, too.
The (smaller) bear is back.
Warner — after hearing from defensive coordinator Steve Wilks that a deal was done — set off the locker room with the news less than an hour before the first true game-week practice of the season.
The news, delivered at the same time as an Adam Schefter tweet, eased a substantial degree of tension.
A barrage of questions were about to be levied at head coach Kyle Shanahan and players in an open locker room session about how the 49ers would attempt to handle business without Bosa. Minutes after Shanahan’s presser was due to begin, though, Bosa signed.
Shanahan was as shocked and giddy as his players. He said he was preparing to tell reporters that he had no information on a Bosa contract. Instead, he came in with a grin that he failed to hide.
“What’d you guys find out?” he joked. “I actually was preparing to talk to you guys about how I have nothing to tell you guys and I was three minutes late because I just got told of the news. So, obviously pumped up about it and try to hit him up after this and figure it out.”
The level of seriousness in the negotiations was not to be misunderstood. After an agreement failed to come together over the weekend, Shanahan didn’t think a deal was going to get done this week, let alone in time for gameday.
“I kinda got in my mind that we weren’t playing with him,” Shanahan said.
It was a dark cloud hanging over the team and the locker room. Here the 49ers were, preparing to embark on what they hope to be a Super Bowl season, but conspicuously without their best player.
As much as players love to lean on platitudes about the “next man up” mentality they have, Trent Williams admitted that it doesn’t apply to players in Bosa’s caliber.
The lack of the reigning Defensive Player of the Year was a major worry.
“I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t,” Williams said. “Because he’s such a huge contributor to what we do as a defense and how we play. So it’s not like anybody else going down. Defensive Player of the Year, you miss people like that. I know it’s a next man up league, but a lot of that goes out the window when you’re talking about a player like Nick.”
It took far longer than expected, but there was an understanding that Bosa’s deal might take a while, given his unique stature.
His longtime defensive line partner Arik Armstead said that the defensive line group didn’t talk much about the contract situation with Bosa, but Armstead did send him one message:
Miss you bro, but get every penny you can.
He surely did.
And players understand. This is a once-in-a-lifetime contract. In the NFL, you often only get one shot at your payday. Bosa took his for all it was worth.
Those numbers came in with a record-setting $50 million signing bonus, $122.5 million guaranteed, and average salary of $34 million per year (displacing Jared Goff to make him the 15th-highest-paid player in the league).
Though deserved, they are unquestionably nutty. He’s being paid like a mid-tier franchise quarterback.
Kerry Hyder Jr. shook his head.
“I can’t believe those numbers, man,” he told KNBR.
Williams — the owner of a six-year, $138.6 million deal — couldn’t either. He did the math on the deal, realizing that Bosa’s earnings clock in at $500,000… per quarter.
“We were all pretty animated and excited to see our boy get paid, like he should,” Williams said. “Can’t wait to welcome him with open arms. Arms might have to be a little wider because he’s got bigger pockets now, but we definitely gonna welcome him back with open arms.”
Money aside — if that’s even possible — Bosa’s value to the 49ers is even more than his outrageous production, at 19.5 sacks last year, and elite pressure rates.
Williams, who frequently picks Bosa’s brain throughout the course of the week, and during and after games, said he’s missed his presence in the locker room.
“I don’t miss blocking him, not one bit,” Williams said. “I do miss being able to pick each other’s brain and just having him here. Him being in my corner, me being in his corner, definitely missed him. As laid back and as monotone as he seems, he’s a big part of this locker room and a lot of people really, really follow him. We learn a lot from him as far as how to treat your body, as far as the dedication, eating right, sleeping right. So he’s one of those guys you really need in the locker room.”
The team named six captains on Wednesday, and you’d imagine Bosa — a captain in the past, would be back on the list once he returns.
And by Thursday, Bosa will be back.
The drama of Brock Purdy’s elbow was settled from the outset of camp. Trey Lance’s uncomfortable standing ended with his trade to Dallas. And now Bosa’s record-setting deal is in place. Now the 49ers can proceed with the business of football, which, of course, is devoid of drama.