The Trent Williams contract quagmire in San Francisco is finally at an end.
Williams and the 49ers finalized a reworked three-year deal worth $82.66 million, his agency announced on Tuesday. The contract includes $48 million fully guaranteed at signing and a $25.69 million signing bonus, giving him $103 million in guarantees since joining the Niners in 2021.
Williams will make $27.6 million in salary in 2024 on the new contract, the most cash for any lineman in the first year of a contract, according to his agency.
The All-Pro left tackle ended his holdout on Tuesday morning when Williams’ agency confirmed he was headed to the Bay Area to finalize the new deal. That announcement came after Williams’ brother, Fred, posted an Instagram story of him boarding a plane late Monday night with the caption, “year 15 let’s get it!” Williams was then officially reinstated from the reserve/did not report list.
The news got Williams back in San Francisco as the Niners prepped for Week 1’s Monday night tilt with the New York Jets on Sept. 9. Williams was present at Tuesday’s practice and afterward spoke to reporters.
Asked what he wanted to accomplish with his holdout, Williams responded succinctly: “Security.”
“It’s a volatile league,” Williams told reporters. “A guy my stature and my age, I thought security was important, and that was all.”
Williams added he wasn’t “trying to dodge” training camp with his contract standoff.
“Obviously, I didn’t think it would get this drawn out,” the star offensive lineman said. “But it’s a tough business, and this was a very intricate contract — I wouldn’t call it a dispute — but a restructure. So, it took time to get to where both sides feel like like it’s a win-win. We had discussions in minicamp and kinda knew that it could draw out a little bit, just because there was other people on the table — obviously, a lot of pressing needs. I didn’t think it would go this long, but it is what it is.”
Even at 36 years old, the blindside protector remains the best tackle in the NFL, with freakish size and athleticism few can match.
Williams held out of training camp and preseason action, racking up millions in fines, as he sought a reworked contract. The 11-time Pro Bowler had three years left on his contract but zero guaranteed dollars. Williams also watched three younger and less accomplished tackles — Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell and Christian Darrisaw — significantly leapfrog his $23.01 million-per-year contract average this offseason.
Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan said nearly two weeks ago that he hoped sides were getting close to a resolution. Now, with the season about to commence, that resolution has arrived.
For much of the offseason, questions were swirling around San Francisco about whether the Niners would keep their core together as Williams held out and Brandon Aiyuk held in. The 49ers have indeed solved both issues before the season. Perhaps it’s later than fans would have hoped — as seems to be the club’s modus operandi — but getting everyone on the field Week 1 was always the main goal.
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