> Trent Williams, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and one of the iconic left tackles of his generation, remained mired in a contract impasse with the 49ers through the weekend and heading into the start of NFL free agency, a situation that is being very closely monitored by other teams.
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> San Francisco’s initial proposal to Williams was seen as decidedly low, according to league sources, which is not unusual with how that team often initiated contract discussions.
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> The deal was for two years at what many would describe as below average for a player of this accomplishment, and rival front offices believe Williams, who continues to perform at a Pro Bowl level when healthy despite his advanced age, holds significant leverage in this situation.
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> San Francisco is in a bit of a salary-cap crunch and Williams carries a non-guaranteed cap figure just under $39M for this season.
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> “We think he has a ton of leverage,” said an executive with one team that would love to get a shot at Williams on the open market. “He has to realize that.”
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> **Who is lurking for Williams?**
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> In what is a suspect free-agent class overall, Williams is seen by some evaluators as the rare potential talent available that could help put a contending team in need of offensive line help over the top.
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> He remains as strong and agile as ever, though he does come with extreme injury risk at age 37 and with a history of neck issues.
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> San Francisco would love nothing more than to retain him, but Williams doesn’t have to agree to anything and is aware that there would definitely be a market for his services if he can’t agree to new terms with San Francisco.
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> Kansas City is seen by many around the league as the team most eager to land him and the one that would be the best fit.