Nick Bosa talks ACL recovery and rediscovers his love for football

For the third time in his football career, San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Nick Bosa has had to take the long and challenging road back from an ACL injury. But this recovery felt different.

After tearing the ACL in his right knee during the San Francisco 49ers’ Week 3 win over the Arizona Cardinals last season, Bosa admitted there were difficult moments early in the rehabilitation process when the emotional weight of the injury hit as hard as the physical recovery itself.

“It was tough at first,” Bosa said during the 49ers OTAs. “Obviously you just want to be able to play. Especially considering how well things went for the defense and for me personally, I thought that was a pretty high level to start the year.”

As the reality of another season-ending injury became apparent, Bosa was vulnerable as he talked about where his mentality started early in the recovery process.

“You start wanting to quit, never play again and never put your body in that position again,” he admitted. “And then you slowly realize that you love this game and you want to get back into it.”

Now months away from surgery, Bosa shared that both his body and mind are in a much better place.

“I never doubted that I could get back to where I am now,” he said. “They make you pretty good and I feel really good. My mind is better too.”

The All-Pro pass rusher is rehabbing in Santa Clara and is on hand as the team picks up Phase 3 of OTA work. Head coach Kyle Shanahan announced that Bosa could return around the start of training camp or shortly thereafter, and Bosa reiterated a similar expectation.

“I plan to be ready,” he said.

While Bosa previously returned from a torn left ACL suffered during the 2020 season, he explained that this recovery was shaped by a better understanding of his body, the rehabilitation process and his patience during recovery. Earlier in his career, his mentality was to attack each milestone as aggressively as possible. This time the experience changed his approach.

“When I did it in 2020, it was like balls to the wall: go back and push every milestone as hard as you can,” he said. “I’ve probably had to deal with some things that I didn’t have to deal with in terms of bumps on the road to recovery. Now I’m taking it easy. I have references to go back and look at.”

With this being the second ACL injury to the same knee, Bosa also tore his right ACL while in high school. He said the recovery also involved several adjustments physically. But with more experience and perspective, he learned not to rush the process.

“Last year I got injured quite early, so there’s plenty of time for me to really lay the foundation to be ready for a long season,” he said.

The mental side of rehabilitation can often feel lonely, but Bosa said having teammates by his side during recovery made a difference. Linebacker Fred Warner and defensive lineman Mykel Williams were among the players who also spent time in the training room throughout the 2025 season.

“Fred every morning on the roadside in the training room where he was working in the early stages and then of course Mykel joined the gang,” Bosa said. “It’s quite a lonely time, so it helps to have those guys.”

Bosa also said he helped Williams deal with the natural setbacks that occur during rehabilitation, using the lessons he learned from his own recovery experiences.

“We were at different stages, but he certainly asked questions as the process progressed,” he said. “Sometimes you run into problems throughout the process and that’s very natural. You just have to roll with it, take a step back, or whatever needs to be done, and just trust the process, and I helped him do that.”

As Bosa continues to move toward a return, there is obvious excitement surrounding the 49ers defense heading into the 2026 season. The veteran pass rusher praised new defensive coordinator Raheem Morris for bringing both energy and experience to the meeting room.

“He is very funny during the meetings,” Bosa said. “He’s kind of a comedian up there, but he’s also very knowledgeable.”

Bosa also spoke highly of the team’s defensive additions as a rookie, specifically highlighting third-round draft pick Romello Height for the impact he has already made in his offseason work.

“Romello looks explosive, looks really good,” Bosa said. “He looks sharp for a rusher, which is nice… It will be fun working with him.”

Bosa’s outlook on the 2026 season comes with a newfound appreciation for the game and for simply feeling healthy again.

“I’ve obviously had a lot of time to work on (recovery) and just enjoy some time off,” Bosa said. “And the rest of my body feels damn good. My fingers probably haven’t felt this good in 20 years. So yeah, I’m excited.”