NFL news: San Francisco 49ers willing to make Trent Williams one of the NFL’s highest-paid left tackles
Trent Williams was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in 2020 as a suitable replacement for 49ers legend Joe Staley, and in his five years in Santa Clara has become a solid part of the furniture, becoming one of the team's most vocal and influential players in the dressing room.
Ahead of the 2026 season, the 49ers are willing to make Williams the seventh-highest-paid left tackle in the NFL.
Here, Sports News Blitz writer and San Francisco 49ers fan Luca Salmasi takes a closer look at the potential deal to secure Trent Williams along with one of the most lucrative deals for a left tackle.
Trent’s current deal
The San Francisco 49ers are confident that they will be able to work out a deal with left tackle Trent Williams, ensuring that he remains in the Bay Area.
Williams current deal will see him take home a base salary of $32.2million in 2026, and there are currently no remaining guarantees in that contract, which is why Williams is seeking a new contract with the 49ers.
If the 49ers were comfortable with giving him that amount, he would ultimately have a new deal by now, but the main roadblock in his renewal appears to be his age, and the more the delay goes on, the likelihood of conversations will go sideways is incredibly likely.
A hole in the roster
The 49ers need this renewal to happen more than Williams does and will hope that he does not turn down their offer and look elsewhere for a trade away from Santa Clara.
This is mainly because the 49ers have a huge hole at left tackle heading into the NFL Draft, and if they could find a way to replace Williams, such as the likes of free agent Taylor Decker or in the draft itself.
However, the leadership he brings to the franchise makes him irreplaceable even as he moves towards the later stages of his career.
49er’s proposal
The 49ers are willing to make Williams the seventh-highest-paid left tackle based on the annual league average.
This potential contract could include $36 million guaranteed over the next two years, with $24 million of which would be paid to him in 2026.
$24 million would place him within the top 10 amongst offensive linemen in the NFL, despite being one of the top tackles in the league.
The closer it gets to the start of the season, opposing teams will have less appetite to take on such a large salary, and potentially, the threat of him being cut could result in Williams having a look at other offers that are put on the table.
However, it would only take one team willing to make a more lucrative deal for Williams to move on from the 49ers.
Tough negotiations
The 49ers chose not to exercise the $10 million option bonus on Williams’ contract that was due last month.
Williams’ salary cap number will grow close to $47 million, but the 49ers aren’t concerned and seem to still have a plan in place to rework his contract before the NFL Draft.
Williams and the 49ers have struggled to find any common ground on a contract despite negotiating for the majority of the offseason so far.
This is not the first instance of player contracts taking the limelight, which happened with the likes of Nick Bosa and Bradon Aiyuk, and Kyle Sahnanhan would not want to be bombarded with the same questions once we get to August.
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