Trent Williams
T
he San Francisco 49ers are hungry. Despite finishing 12-5 and returning to the playoffs after a one season absence, the team was never a real threat, losing in the NFC divisional round of the playoffs to the eventual Super Bowl champion, Seattle Seahawks, and sending them into the offseason with a lot of questions to answer. So far this offseason, the 49ers have been quick to address several pressing needs, including at wide receiver and defensive line– adding wide receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk and defensive lineman Osa Odighizuwa. Those additions prove that the 49ers are serious about returning to being the class of the NFC in ’26.
But in the midst of all the moves, the 49ers have one very important move that they need to make. For the second straight offseason, the 49ers and future Hall of Fame left tackle, Trent Williams, are in a contract standoff. Williams is entering his age-38 season but is still playing at a high level, making his return extremely important for 2026. And in a recent ESPN article by insider, Bill Barnwell, the Williams’ situation is the most important thing left for the 49ers to address this offseason.
Barnwell: Left Tackle Resolution Must Be Found
Barnwell wrote an article about the biggest issues remaining for the NFL’s contending teams. Listing the 49ers among the contenders, figuring out what to do at left tackle is pressing for the 49ers– who have no succession plan in place for Williams. The 49ers still have a good roster, especially with guys like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner set to return, but having Williams back is crucial if the offense wants to flourish again.
“One future Hall of Famer whose status remains up in the air is Trent Williams,” Barnwell wrote. “Before free agency, there were reports that the 49ers were considering trading or releasing Williams. Those reports felt mostly like an issue with guarantees. Williams is due $31 million in 2026, none of which is guaranteed. That changes Friday, when Williams is due a $10 million bonus. If the 49ers don’t want to pay that bonus (or the broader $31 million), they’ll decide on Williams’ future before Friday.”
“Williams’ leverage is to not play, something he used to force a deal out of Washington after 2019 and to push the 49ers give him a new deal before the 2024 campaign,” Barnwell added. “If the Niners don’t have Williams, either through his retirement, a holdout or a departure from the organization, things would suddenly look very bleak at left tackle. They could try to sign Taylor Decker, but that would be a major downgrade from Williams, who was still playing at an All-Pro level a year ago. Vederian Lowe, signed to play swing tackle, was a liability on the left side for the Patriots.”
Williams may not be the same player he once was, but there is no doubt that he is still among the NFL’s best left tackles. Healthy in 2025 after dealing with injuries last season, Williams earned his 12th Pro Bowl trip and was named a second-team All-Pro, a telltale sign that he still has some left in the tank.
The 49ers Need to Find a Solution with Williams
The 49ers and Williams are still far apart in contract negotiations, but it is clear that the team has no plan in place to replace Williams and that finding a solution is the best plan of attack.
“There’s no like-for-like replacement for Williams that the 49ers can add to this roster, and if [Taylor] Decker signs somewhere else, coach Kyle Shanahan will be looking at a potential disaster up front,” Barnwell said. “The 49ers don’t typically place a premium on elite offensive line play in the way that other teams do, but there’s a reason they traded for Williams and then made him the highest-paid lineman in league history to keep him away from the Chiefs a few years ago. He’s different.”
“The 49ers likely want to pay Williams something closer to the $21.9 million he made in 2025, which would make sense,” Barnwell added. “Finding common ground on a deal that guarantees Williams $25 million in 2026 and $30 million in 2027 would be smart for a team that doesn’t have a replacement for the 12-time Pro Bowler. And while Williams might want to become the highest-paid tackle in league history one more time and top Rashawn Slater’s $28.5 million average salary, there isn’t really a market to pay him that sort of deal in free agency right now.”