It was a good day to be a San Francisco 49ers fan. The rollercoaster off -season is over. Trent Williams made the trip to San Francisco from his home in Houston to finalize a new deal with the 49ers, his agency posted on social media on Tuesday morning.
There, he explained to the media a deal was “pretty much done.”
“Security. It’s a volatile league,” Williams said of his goal in holding out. “A guy my stature, my age — I thought security is important.”
According to his representation, Elite Loyalty Sports, Williams’ new deal is for three years and $82.66 million. It includes a $25.7 million signing bonus and $48 million guaranteed at signing.
The deal ensures that the 11-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle and first ballot Hall of Famer five years after he is done playing, will be in uniform for the 49ers Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets on Monday night and end a holdout that has kept Williams away from the team and the facility for the duration of training camp.
According to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner, the 36-year-old, who was the NFL’s top pass-blocking tackle with a 95.8% pass block win rate, has accumulated over $4 million in fines due to missed practices and the team’s three preseason games.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe reason for Williams holding out is that his contract has three years left but no guaranteed money remaining. That is part of a six-year, $138.1 million contract he signed in March 2021 when he came to the 49ers from the Washington Commanders in free agency.
Williams getting a new deal would end the second contract dispute 49ers general manager John Lynch has had to deal with this offseason. He can finally get a little bit of rest. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk sat out during training camp and was nearly traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots before agreeing to a new four-year, $120 million contract last Thursday.
While not a holdout, running back Christian McCaffrey also was on a contract this offseason with no guaranteed money remaining, but ended up signing a new two-year, $38 million extension in June with $24 million guaranteed.
Aside from his double-digit Pro Bowl appearances, Williams is also a three-time First Team All-Pro and a 2015 Second Team All-Pro. He was the fourth overall pick in 2010 out of the University of Oklahoma and is going into his 14th NFL season. He began his career with Washington and has been with the 49ers since a 2020 trade.
