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PFF Questions Whether 49ers LT Trent Williams will Play in 2025

Since the 49ers traded for Trent Williams in 2020, their record when he doesn't play is just 4-12. They need to plan for life without him.

Grant Cohn

Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) blocks Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Naquan Jones (96) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) blocks Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Naquan Jones (96) during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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The biggest mystery on the 49ers this year is Trent Williams.

He lost his son to a stillborn pregnancy last year and he missed the final seven games with a bruised ankle that wouldn't heal. In July, he will turn 37. So even though he signed a contract extension last year, no one would blame him if he decided to retire.

Pro Football Focus doesn't seem so certain that Williams will return to the football field.

"The 49ers are already in the midst of a chaotic offseason, which features a potential Deebo Samuel trade and a likely Brock Purdy extension," writes PFF analyst Bradley Locker. "However, the most overarching question might just be about whether Williams will play in 2025.

"The 36-year-old was fantastic yet again, even in a shortened 2024 season. Williams notched PFF pass- and run-blocking grades above 81.4, permitting only one sack on 381 pass-blocking snaps. At the same time, Williams didn’t play after Week 11 due to an ankle injury, and retirement very much appears to be on the table.

"Whether or not Williams suits up next season, general manager John Lynch will likely look to land a potential starter down the line at left tackle. But if Williams retires, that would make left tackle arguably the 49ers’ biggest need, trumping cornerback, edge defender and linebacker, as the team would need an instant starter to protect Purdy’s blindside."

If Williams decides to retire, I could see the 49ers privately asking him to wait until after the draft to announce his decision so that they can draft his replacement before the rest of the league knows they're in the market for a starting offensive tackle.

Since the 49ers traded for Williams in 2020, their record when he doesn't play is just 4-12. They need to plan for life without him.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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