Nick Bosa vs. Joey Bosa contract: Comparing NFL brothers’ deals with 49ers, Chargers

By | September 6, 2023

Brothers in harm.

Nick and Joey Bosa have made a living off of torturing quarterbacks’ souls. They slip through the trenches like blurs, each determined to wreak havoc on the opposition hurlers. More often than not, they leave a trail of chaos in their path; disheveled grass, debris and (sometimes) a lonely football twirling in the wind.

The Bosa’s, alongside with their longtime contemporaries the Watt’s, are sacks’ first family. That designation brings with it a lot of expectation. It also brings a whole lot of dough.

Nick Bosa inked the largest deal for a defensive player in NFL history on Wednesday. It bears wondering: just how does his contract compare to that of older brother, Joey, who signed his name on the dotted line for the Chargers back in 2020.

MORE: Nick Bosa contract details

Here’s what you need to know about the two defensive supernova’s major-league deals — namely, how they compare to one another.

Nick Bosa contract details

  • Total value: $170 million
  • AAV: $34 million
  • Guaranteed money: $122.5 million

Bosa reportedly agreed terms with the 49ers, locking him up just before the regular season starts. He’ll net a cool $170 million over the course of his contract. That’s an average annual value (AAV) of $34 million per year, the largest AAV for a defensive player in history. He surpasses Aaron Donald, who previously held the record with an AAV of $31.7 million per year. They are the only two defenders to have an AAV exceeding $30 million.

The All-Pro edge rusher has long been seeking these sorts of figures. Bosa had been holding out in an attempt to coax the Niners into tossing him his much-deserved bag. And after months of negotiations, he finally looks to have gotten through — Bosa’s deal eclipses that of Khalil Mack, the previous record-holder for biggest nominal value ever handed to a defensive player, by a whopping $29 million.

His production is more than befitting for a player of that distinction; he has 43 sacks in 51 career games and is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year for his 18-sack efforts in 2022.

Joey Bosa contract details

  • Total value: $135 million
  • AAV: $27 million
  • Guaranteed money: $102 million

Much like younger brother Nick, Joey Bosa has shown a penchant for leaving quarterbacks strewn on the field like dirty laundry. He just doesn’t quite receive as much dough as his younger brother does for doing such a task, though.

Joey’s deal, inked in 2020, brings him an average of $27 million per year. That makes him one of the highest-paid defensive players in league history, slotting in at No. 4 behind Nick, Aaron Donald and T.J. Watt.

NFL contracts have, unsurprisingly, gotten larger over the years. As such, it was little surprise that Nick — who is younger and agreeing his deal at a time in which the NFL’s franchises are seeing their valuations rise dramatically — earned more bread than his own flesh and blood.

MORE: Joe Burrow undaunted by Bengals contract talks

NFL’s highest-paid defensive players

Nick Bosa’s bag is different, even among the growing cadre of cash-flushed defenders. He’s making more than any other defensive player in NFL history. And frankly, it isn’t even that close — Nick Bosa is the first defensive player to net a contract that pays more than $100 million in guaranteed fees, as well as a contract exceeding $150 million of total value.

Below is a look at how Bosa’s contract compares to those of other top defenders.

Average annual value

Rank Player Team Total value
1 Nick Bosa 49ers $34 million
2 Aaron Donald Rams $31.7 million
3 T.J. Watt Steelers $28 million
4 Joey Bosa Chargers $27 million
5 Myles Garrett Browns $25 million
6 Quinnen Williams Jets $24 million
7 Maxx Crosby Raiders $23.5 million
  Khalil Mack Chargers $23.5 million
  Jeffery Simmons Titans $23.5 million
10 Daron Payne Commanders $22.5 million
  Dexter Lawrence Giants $22.5 million

Total guarantees

Rank Player Team Total guarantees
1 Nick Bosa 49ers $122.5 million
2 T.J. Watt Steelers $80 million
3 Joey Bosa Chargers $78 million
4 Khalil Mack Chargers $70 million
5 Quinnen Williams Jets $66 million
  Jeffery Simmons Titans $66 million
7 Dexter Lawrence Giants $60 million
8 Daron Payne Commanders $55 million
9 Aaron Donald Rams $46.5 million
10 Roquan Smith Ravens $45 million
  Von Miller Bills $45 million
  Leonard Williams Giants $45 million

Total contract value

Rank Player Team Total value
1 Nick Bosa 49ers $170 million
2 Khalil Mack Chargers $141 million
3 Joey Bosa Chargers $135 million
4 Myles Garrett Browns $125 million
5 Von Miller Bills $120 million
6 T.J. Watt Steelers $112 million
7 Bradley Chubb Dolphins $110 million
8 Denzel Ward Browns $100.5 million
9 Roquan Smith Ravens $100 million
10 Shaquille Leonard Colts $98.5 million

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