Joey Bosa predicts 49ers, brother Nick beat record-setting contract

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The Los Angeles Chargers backed up the Brinks truck to keep defensive end Joey Bosa in Southern California last week when they agreed to a five-year, $135 million extension with $102 million guaranteed.

That contract made Bosa the NFL's highest-paid defender, surpassing Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. The highest-paid player tag usually only lasts until the next star defender signs his contract. Bosa is going to relish his status but thinks the 49ers will have to break it to keep his younger brother, Nick, in the fold.

"It will probably be a short-lived record," Bosa said Monday on a conference call with Chargers reporters, via ESPN. "Which is great because I'm happy to just set the bar and maybe my brother in a few years will surpass me, I'm sure of that."

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There's no doubt Nick Bosa will be paid handsomely when the time comes for a new contract extension.

The 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year was an absolute force last season for the 49ers, recording 9.0 sacks, as well as 18 quarterback hits and 52 QB pressures, per Pro Football Focus.

The NFL pattern dictates that Nick will reset the market when his time comes, topping his brother and any other premium defensive players who have since broken the bank.

The 49ers have a perilous cap situation to navigate over the next few years if they plan to keep their loaded roster intact. They currently are trying to negotiate a long-term extension for tight end George Kittle, but the talks appear to have hit a snag as the two sides try to determine how Kittle, who is one of the top pass-catching weapons in the NFL, should be compensated.

[RELATED: 49ers troll Joey after Nick Bosa ranked No. 17 in top 100]

General manager John Lynch will have to pull off some cap gymnastics over the next couple of seasons to keep the band mainly together. He's confident he can.

"Is it going to be a challenge? Absolutely," Lynch told 49ers reporters Monday when asked about the 49ers and their cap situation heading forward in the COVID-19 era. "For us, I think the biggest challenges -- we were set up with a really good roster, but we had set it up such that we really felt it was sustainable. I think it's still sustainable. We're going to have to get creative, though, and we've got to figure some things out."

After Kittle is taken care of, the 49ers will turn their attention to retaining left tackle Trent Williams after this season. Nick Bosa will up next after Williams, and the 49ers hope the younger Bosa can anchor their defense for years to come.

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