Nick Bosa has had an excellent career with the San Francisco 49ers, and if he continues on his current trajectory, he’ll surpass a 49ers legend in 2025.
Since being the second overall pick in 2019 by the team, Bosa has been a revelation, helping the team to two Super Bowl appearances, albeit they ended in narrow losses to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Individually, he’s logged 62.5 sacks across his six seasons (including a mostly lost 2020 season with an ACL tear), and has been named both the Defensive Rookie Of The Year and Defensive Player Of The Year.
The five-time Pro Bowler now has the next step in a team record in his sights, and it’d involve him passing one of the most decorated 49ers in order to do so.
Nick Bosa is chasing down Charles Haley
As it stands, Nick Bosa is four sacks behind Charles Haley, making it almost certain that he’ll surpass him in 2025.
What he can’t surpass, though, is Haley’s body of work with the team.
A fourth-round pick from James Madison in Bill Walsh’s legendary 1986 draft, Haley was a key component in the San Francisco 49ers dynasty, winning the 1988 and 1989 Super Bowls with the team. Playing the ‘elephant’ position in the 49ers’ 3-4 defense (a spot that would be a precursor to the ‘edge rusher’ position we know today), Haley would record 66.5 sacks across a two-spell, eight-year career in San Francisco.
Many regard his trade to the rival Dallas Cowboys in 1992 as the official end of the 49ers’ late 80s dynasty, as although they would go on to win another Super Bowl in 1994, Haley would win three more with the Cowboys, being part of their wins over the Buffalo Bills (twice) and Pittsburgh Steelers. He was voted into the Hall Of Fame in 2015 following a two-time All-Pro and five-time Pro Bowl career. He is also a member of both teams’ Hall Of Fame, the only player to achieve this feat.
Bosa’s next challenge is another Hall Of Famer
Assuming Bosa does surpass Haley, he’d have one more player to overcome at the top of the 49ers sack rankings, although that might be a little harder.
The current 49ers sack leader is another Hall Of Fame defensive lineman, former first-rounder Bryant Young.
Young bookends the end of the dynasty (winning the team’s so-far final Super Bowl as a rookie in 1994) and the lean years, being a stalwart in the middle of the defensive line for the entirety of his fourteen-year career.
As such, he logged 89.5 sacks for the 49ers, also winning Comeback Player Of The Year in 1999.
At Bosa’s current pace (averaging 13 sacks per 17-game season), Bosa can track him down in 2 or 3 years. With a deal that runs until 2028 as it stands, that should mean that Bosa eventually takes ownership of the record.
49ers fans will be hoping he adds a couple of Super Bowl rings to that, also.
