The 49ers and Trent Williams have a little more than a week to reach a deal or he’ll miss the first game of the regular season.
Williams presumably wants more guaranteed money and a raise that will make him the highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL. And the 49ers seem hesitant to give him what he wants, considering the deal still isn’t done.
Let’s assume Williams wants what the 49ers gave Christian McCaffrey earlier this offseason. They gave McCaffrey a raise and guaranteed money in 2024 and 2025. I’m guessing Williams wants two years of guaranteed money as well. And the 49ers probably would prefer to give him only one year of guaranteed money because he’s 36 and could retire next offseason. Hence the current standoff.
But if the recent negotiation with Brandon Aiyuk taught us anything, it’s this: The 49ers will cave at the last minute and give their star players everything they want. All Williams has to do is be patient and refuse to budge. That’s what Aiyuk just did. It’s also what Nick Bosa did Week 1.
We all know the 49ers need Williams to beat the Jets Week 1. They will not play that game without him. So they’ll give him exactly what he wants this upcoming week. That’s my prediction. They’ll cave by the end of the week and he’ll be in the Saturday walkthrough two days before the season opener on Monday Night Football.
And when that happens, just remember that the 49ers could have handled this negotiation months ago.