Nick Bosa is officially the NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
The former Ohio State defensive end was named the NFL’s top defender by the Associated Press at Thursday night’s NFL Honors ceremony.
Never a doubt \_()_/@nbsmallerbear is the AP Defensive Player of the Year. pic.twitter.com/SddNXf70GA
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) February 10, 2023
Bosa is the second Buckeye to ever win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award, joining former Ohio State and Denver Broncos linebacker Randy Gradishar, who won the award in 1978.
Bosa wins the award after a dominant 2022 season in which he led the NFL with 18.5 sacks and 48 quarterback hits. With Bosa leading the way up front, the San Francisco 49ers led the NFL in points allowed per game (16.3) and yards allowed per game (300.6) while going 13-4 in the regular season – finishing the season with 10 straight wins – and making a run to the NFC Championship Game before falling to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bosa won the award in a landslide vote, receiving 46 of 50 first-place votes from the AP’s panel of voters. He was one of two Buckeyes to win awards at this year’s NFL Honors along with Garrett Wilson, who won the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Going into his fifth year in the NFL, Bosa is expected to negotiate a contract extension with the 49ers this offseason, though he is under contract for one more year on a fifth-year option. Winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Award will only bolster his case for receiving a massive new contract that could make him the league’s highest-paid defensive player.
