By Dianna Russini, Matt Barrows and David Lombardi
San Francisco 49ers All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is ending his month-long contract extension and returning to the Bay Area to sign an 11-time Pro Bowl player on Tuesday, according to league sources.
Williams’ return comes as the 49ers begin practice again Tuesday morning after a four-day break over Labor Day weekend. Shortly after their last meeting Thursday, the 49ers finally agreed to terms with Brandon Aiyuk on a four-year, $120 million contract extension, ending his holdout after months of contentious contract negotiations. Tuesday is expected to be Aiyuk’s first practice with the team since the Super Bowl in February.
The tenor of the Williams talks never reached the level of Aiyuk’s, who was given permission to seek a trade last month. Although the 49ers at times seemed upset about Aiyuk’s situation — “At some point you have to play,” general manager John Lynch said a day before agreeing to the Aiyuk deal — the 49ers never expressed any concerns about reaching an agreement with Williams.
“I’m optimistic that Trent will work out,” coach Kyle Shanahan said Wednesday. “I’m sitting here not knowing what day it’s going to be. … When both sides want to make a deal, that’s usually what happens.”
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Williams had three years left on the six-year, $138 million contract he signed in 2021, but there was no guaranteed salary left in that contract. He had been entitled to a base salary of just over $20 million this season, and most of the money left on that original contract was not scheduled for the 2026 season, when Williams will be 38 years old.
Since Williams is still the best offensive tackle in football – he has been a first-team All-Pro selection for the past three seasons – he demanded a raise that would at least bring him closer to the top of the market, as well as some additional guarantees.
Williams’ new contract should help mitigate the roughly $4 million in penalties he has accumulated for missing all of training camp and three preseason games. Those penalties are not forgivable under the league’s collective bargaining agreement; penalties can only be waived for players who are still on their rookie contracts.
Williams’ return to the field is a huge boost for the offense. He remains one of the league’s best pass shooters and, even at 36, still has excellent movement skills to run down the field on the 49ers’ vaunted wide-zone runs. Even with Williams’ return, the 49ers are thinly staffed at the offensive tackle position, with only two — Jaylon Moore and Colton McKivitz — on the active roster and no one with NFL playing experience on the practice squad.
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Williams isn’t just physically gifted, though. He’s the most revered player in the locker room. Not only do young offensive players flock to him and soak up every bit of advice, he has the same effect on defensive players as well. He and Nick Bosa regularly have long conversations about the art of pass blocking and pass rushing, especially after games. Williams’ arrival should further boost the team’s confidence and, along with Aiyuk’s signing, change the narrative of a disjointed, unfocused summer session.
Re-signing Aiyuk means the 49ers will be even more stacked at the skill positions than they were as the NFL’s No. 1 offense in 2023. Quarterback Brock Purdy now has Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel Sr., Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings and rookie Jacob Cowing at his disposal. This group should be able to create enough spacing for Purdy to release the ball quickly, but he still needs some good defense in front of him – and Williams is the most qualified candidate to provide that defense on his blind side.
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The 49ers’ biggest weakness heading into Monday’s season opener against the Jets is their offensive line’s pass defense. Last season, they were in the 20s in all pass blocking metrics, despite Williams defending his position superbly. Without him, disastrous results are inevitable. The three games Williams missed last season were all losses for the 49ers, in which they scored just 17 points each.
The end of Williams’ hiatus doesn’t put an end to all of the 49ers’ offensive woes. They still appear to be dangerously thin at center, with starter Jake Brendel dealing with tendonitis in his knee and the only backup with experience at the position, Jon Feliciano, on the injured list. And none of the other players on the offensive line defended well last season. Perhaps rookie Dominick Puni will change that at right guard, but that remains to be seen. Williams, on the other hand, is a walking Hall of Famer who was inducted into the Hall of Fame on his first try. And that’s worth its weight in gold – as this lucrative renegotiation proves.
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(Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)
