49ers, OL Trent Williams finalizing contract agreement to end his holdout

The San Francisco 49ers have resolved their final major contract dispute less than a week before the start of the regular season.

Trent Williams is finalizing a new deal with the 49ers that will end his holdout, his agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, announced Tuesday. The 36-year-old All-Pro left tackle sat out all of training camp and the preseason as he sought to have his deal reworked. While the terms of Williams’ deal aren’t yet known, he had three years left on a six-year, $138 million contract he signed with San Francisco in 2021.

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Williams has become a key cornerstone of the 49ers’ success over the last few years after the team acquired him from Washington in 2020. He’s been named first-team All-Pro in each of the last three years and didn’t allow a sack last season, per Pro Football Focus.

Williams is regarded as arguably the best offensive lineman in the NFL since he arrived in San Francisco, but his salary among his peers slipped a few spots this offseason. Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, Detroit Lions offensive tackle Penei Sewell and Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Christian Darrisaw all signed massive extensions this spring, causing Williams’ $23 million average salary to fall to sixth among offensive tackles, per Over The Cap. 

Williams, a Texas native, had spent training camp in the Houston area, working out to prepare for the season. San Francisco placed him on the reserve/did not report list when rosters were cut down to 53 players in late August. With the new deal, Williams could possibly play in the 49ers’ season-opener against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football.

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Regardless of Williams’ Week 1 status, San Francisco will now nearly have all of its key players from its 2023 run to the Super Bowl back on its roster for the 2024 season. The 49ers spent their offseason trying to satisfy players who were still under contract in order to gear up for another Super Bowl run in hopes of getting over the hump. They reworked star running back Christian McCaffrey’s deal in June, keeping his salary as the highest-paid player at his position.

The 49ers were also able to keep Brandon Aiyuk. The star wide receiver was entering the final year of his deal and didn’t participate in practice during training camp before agreeing to a four-year, $120 million extension late last week.

San Francisco did lose a few notable players on the defensive side of the ball this offseason, though. Defensive linemen Chase Young and Clelin Ferrell signed deals with other teams in free agency while standout defensive tackle Arik Armstead was released in a cap-saving move. On the offensive side, 2024 first-round pick wide receiver Ricky Pearsall will miss at least the first four of the team’s games after being injured in a shooting in downtown San Francisco over the weekend.

However, the 49ers are still widely viewed as one of the Super Bowl favorites thanks in large part to their stacked offense, and extending Williams should only help San Francisco’s status as a contender. 

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