Negotiating a record contract extension for Nick Bosa was not easy for 49ers general manager John Lynch and the front office.
The NFL Defensive Player of the Year’s 44-day contract expired on Wednesday and the defensive star put pen to paper on Friday morning.
After Bossa officially signed his record-breaking five-year, $170 million extension, Lynch joined KNBR 680 “Morph and Mac” Friday morning where he discussed the complex process. Asked if there were times when he had to control his impulses and not take things personally during frustrating negotiations, Lynch admitted it was difficult, but he took advice from former Golden State Warriors manager and close personal friend Bob Myers.
“I’d be lying if human nature didn’t intervene,” Lynch said. “Nick has been well represented by a very talented agent. He’s tough, and he’s aggressive. I’d say we’ve been here one day, and that’s out of the realm of his agent, but a little homage to my good friend Bob Myers. There was one ‘when we hit a dead end’. Bob called and Parag Marath happened to be in my office and had really good advice. Sometimes we need an outside perspective and I think that kind of kept us going.
“There were a lot of people and I don’t want to downplay the internal issues [discussions], a lot of people were working on this… but I appreciate it so much, you need friends when you’re struggling. I thought about it last night, at a time when we were both really down, Bob called and he had a really nice point.
Lynch indicated that the impasse that occurred during the 24 hours preceding the agreement was related to the language of the contract, not the final numbers, but the two sides were able to overcome the obstacle and reach an agreement.
“Language in the last 24 hours,” Lynch revealed. “You get this stuff done and it’s OK… Everything gets leaked these days, I guess – I don’t cast shades – but whatever happened, it got leaked and you still have to revise the language. In a decade of history like this, There will be some analysis of all of that. There was a slight delay in the end on that. Before that, it was just everything. They were going to be inclusive, and we were going to be inclusive.”
If there’s anyone who knows a thing or two about negotiating lucrative contracts, it’s Myers, who has done deals with Steve Curry, Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and many others throughout his 11 seasons as general manager of the Warriors.
After stepping down from his position with Golden State in May, it looks like Myers can still play a role in helping keep the biggest stars at bay for years to come.
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