Williams isn’t going anywhere

All eyes are on any news that surfaces regarding San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but the best offensive tackle in football is looking for a new contract, too.

Trent Williams has yet to report to training camp. While that doesn’t seem to bother head coach Kyle Shanahan, ESPN’s Adam Schefter appeared on the Pat McAfee Show to explain how Williams’ contract might be trickier than it appears on the surface:

“You know, the tricky part about this one is you’re talking about a guy that’s as dominant as any offensive tackle in all football. He’s been great. He’s been unbelievable. He’s so good. Future Hall of Famer. He’s also 36 years old, and he’s got, I believe, three years left on his contract.

And so these offensive linemen, their value is huge, immense work, and the Niners know it. But they’re also in a situation where, again, I think that they’ve gone and paid Williams a couple of different times, and he’s 36.

So, you have to balance, how do you do that? How do you figure out a way to keep him happy and keep your salary cap situation intact at a time when you know the Brock Purdy extension si coming down the pike after the season? You got Brandon Aiyuk, who wants his money. You’re paying these other guys. So, it’s a challenging situation that they have not yet figured out.”

Schefter believes it’s a good thing, at least in Williams’ case, that he has yet to report to camp. For what it’s worth, on the same show, Schefter also reported that the 49ers and Aiyuk are far apart in negotiations.

Extending Williams creates cap space for the 49ers both today and in the foreseeable future. Purdy and Aiyuk’s situation are independent of Williams.

In Purdy’s case, the team was thinking ahead when they selected Ricky Pearsall and Renardo Green—Deebo Samuel and Deommodore Lenoir could come off the books after this season.

But there’s no replacing Williams, and I doubt the 49ers have any intentions of planning on or doing so. He is their offensive line, which is why it’d be surprising if a deal didn’t get done before Week 1.