Due to an agreement reached last summer, the 49ers were not allowed to detain Trent Williams through the franchise label. There are five days left to negotiate exclusively with the left-wing Pro Bowl team, which they acquired through trading last year.
San Francisco has more than $ 23 million in space – the 12th-largest on Wednesday night, though teams will continue to raise funds before the league’s new year begins on March 17 – and Williams has launched a successful restart of his career with the team last season. Williams and Kyle Shanahan they also have a history that goes back to the OC days of the latter in Washington, and the eight-time Pro Bowler may not want to play for a third team.
During an appearance on Podcast Cris Collinsworth, Richard Sherman Williams predicted he would stay with the 49ers and indicated he would play a few more seasons. Also on the podcast, Williams responded (via NFL.com): “It’s not a bad approach, guys. Bark the right tree. ”
Although Williams will turn 33 in this off-season, he will command a high-end salary for the left team. Given that Williams has never hit the free agency before, it would not be surprising to see him stop for a 49-year extension and let them fight for his services against other teams in the free agency.
With Laremy Tunsil and David bakhtiari raising the equipment market to more than $ 22 million a year, Williams’ next transaction may not fall far short of younger blockers. That will put the 49ers in a decision. They traded the third- and fifth-round picks to buy Williams last year, and they saw that the business was going pretty well, even though their season didn’t go well. After giving up the 2019 season, Williams ranked first in Pro Football Focus in 2020.
Leaving the Williams Bay area would create a major need for a team of 49ers who avoided such problems for much of this century. Joe Staley he held San Francisco’s left attacking position during 2007-19 and, on the same day, his retirement decision appeared, the 49ers switched to Williams. The 49ers would check a key item on their off-season to-do list by retaining it.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.