Random Ramsdom: Nick Bosa holdout could keep him from playing against Rams

When the Los Angeles Rams gave Aaron Donald a new contract in 2022, it set a bar so high that not even the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs want to touch it. Too bad.

Donald makes over $31 million per year, which at the time was about $10 million more than anyone else at his position and well more than any other defensive player at any position. Even now, Donald makes $8 million more per year than any other defensive tackle. That could be what Chris Jones wants amid his holdout from the Chiefs but he might accept less.

It could be that Nick Bosa, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year and someone considerably younger than Donald and Jones, won’t take less.

Rumors on Tuesday circulated around the idea that Bosa will indeed miss games in 2023 if that’s what it takes and the 49ers play the L.A. Rams in Week 2. That means that if Bosa misses just two games, he’ll miss playing against the Rams. It’s not entirely unprecedented: Aaron Donald held out in 2017, reporting back before the season but still missing Week 1’s game.

Bosa surely wants to reach the $30 million per year barrier and he knows there’s no time like the present to become the highest-paid player at his position. If Bosa accepts $28 million per season, it could be only two years from now that he’s making a lot less than Micah Parsons and already wants a fresh contract.

It is unlikely that Bosa misses any regular season games. The 49ers know that they have no other plans except to pay him an extraordinary amount of money. But it will likely cost them over $30 million per year for about four years.