Bosa played in all 13 games as a true freshman at Ohio State in 2016, recording 29 tackles, seven of which were for a loss, and five sacks.[5]
In his sophomore year, he became the starting defensive end for the Buckeyes in seven games. Bosa was named a unanimous first-team All-Big Ten Conference and the Smith-Brown Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year for his 32 total tackles (14.5 for a loss) and a team leading seven sacks.[6] Additionally, he had two pass breakups, eight quarterback hurries and a blocked kick.
On September 1, 2018, against Oregon State, Bosa had two sacks and a one-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the 77–31 win.[7] On September 20, it was reported that Bosa underwent core muscle surgery, ruling him out indefinitely.[8] On October 16, Bosa announced that he was withdrawing from Ohio State for the rest of the season. After the season, Bosa decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL draft.[9][10]
Coming out of Ohio State, Bosa was projected to be the first overall pick in the draft by a majority of analysts and scouts.[11] Bosa received an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine as one of the top prospects at the draft. He completed all of the required combine drills and positional drills except for the 10 yard and 20 yard split. Bosa met and interviewed with 8 NFL teams at the combine, including the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, New York Giants, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A week before the draft, Bosa was criticized by some due to his political beliefs and controversial tweets, such as calling Colin Kaepernick a "clown", expressing support for U.S. president Donald Trump, and "liking" a post on Instagram that included racial and homophobic slurs as hashtags.[12][13]
Bosa was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round with the second overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.[16] On July 25, 2019, Bosa signed a 4-year deal with the 49ers worth $33.5 million featuring a $22.5 million signing bonus and a fifth year option.[17]
Bosa made his NFL debut in Week 1 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In the game, he made 3 tackles and sacked quarterback Jameis Winston once in the 31–17 road victory.[18] During a Week 5 31–3 victory over the Cleveland Browns, Bosa sacked Baker Mayfield twice, one of which resulted in a fumble, earning him National Football Conference (NFC) Defensive Player of the Week.[19][20] In the next game against the Carolina Panthers, Bosa sacked Kyle Allen thrice and recorded his first career interception in the 51–13 win.[21] He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance along with his brother Joey, who was voted AFC Defensive Player of the Week.[22] The next day, Bosa was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for his play in October.[23]
Bosa finished his rookie year with 47 tackles, nine sacks, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two pass deflections, and an interception in 16 games and 14 starts.[24] He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team.[25] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Minnesota Vikings, Bosa sacked Kirk Cousins twice during the 27–10 win.[26] In the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers, Bosa sacked Aaron Rodgers once in the 37–20 win.[27] At the NFL Honors, Bosa won the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, which his father accepted on his behalf due to Bosa being at the Super Bowl in Miami.[28][29] In Super Bowl LIV against the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded a strip sack on Patrick Mahomes during the 31–20 loss.[30] He was ranked 17th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[31]
2020
During Week 2 against the New York Jets, Bosa suffered a torn ACL and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[32][33] He was placed on injured reserve on September 23, 2020.[34] During Bosa's rehab, he hired a private chef and took on a strict, protein-heavy diet as part of his recovery.[35]
2021
Bosa made his return to the field during Week 1 on September 12. He had four solo tackles, three tackles for loss, and sacked Jared Goff once during the 41–33 victory over the Detroit Lions.[36] During Week 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he got his tenth sack of the season, breaking his rookie-season sack total of nine. Bosa finished the season with 15.5 sacks, the fourth most in the league.[37] His 21 tackles for loss were tied for the league lead with T. J. Watt.[38] He earned Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career.[39] He was ranked 25th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.[40]
2022
On April 25, 2022, the 49ers picked up the fifth-year option on Bosa's rookie contract.[41] On December 1, Bosa was announced by the NFL as the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for the month of November. In three games in November, he recorded five tackles for a loss, three sacks, and 10 quarterback hits, with the 49ers going 3–0 during that span.[42] In Week 13, Bosa had three sacks, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble in a 33–17 win over the Dolphins, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[43] In Week 16, he had seven tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble in a 37–20 win over the Washington Commanders, earning his second NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor of the season.[44] He was named as a Pro Bowler for the third time.[45] He was named as first team All-Pro for the first time.[46] Bosa led the league in sacks during the regular season, recording 18.5 sacks for 138 yards in 16 games.[47] At the conclusion of the season Bosa was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year.[48] He was ranked fourth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.[49]
2023
On September 6, 2023, after holding out on a deal with the 49ers for 44 days, Bosa signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension, including $122.5 million guaranteed, making him the highest-paid defensive player in NFL history.[50]
In Week 10, Bosa recorded 1.5 sacks, three tackles, six pressures, a pass breakup, a forced fumble and recovery in a 34–3 win over the Jaguars, earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week.[51] He earned Pro Bowl honors for the fourth time.[52] He finished the 2023 season with 10.5 sacks, 53 total tackles (34 solo), four passes deflected, and two forced fumbles in 17 appearances and starts.[53]
In the NFC Championship victory over the Lions, Bosa had two sacks.[54] In Super Bowl LVIII against the Chiefs, Bosa recorded six tackles and three quarterback hits in the 25–22 overtime loss.[55]
Leading up to the 2019 NFL draft, in which Bosa was the second overall player selected, Bosa gained media attention for his posts, shares, retweets, and likes on Twitter and Instagram that contained racist and homophobic language.[59][60] In response, Bosa deleted them,[61] which he discussed at the time in at least one interview with ESPN and one interview with USA Today.[62][63][64] His posts criticized Beyoncé and the film Black Panther, for example, as well as supporting then-President Donald Trump.[59][59][65] His controversial posts also included him calling former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick a "clown" for his protests against police brutality and racial inequality in the US, which he noted he "had to" delete because "[t]here is a chance I might end up in San Francisco."[62][60] After being drafted by the 49ers, Bosa apologized for the posts in a press conference.[62][66]
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