49ers Give Trent Williams Six-Year, $138 Million Extension
While you were sleeping, the 49ers made Trent Williams the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL.
Williams signed a six-year, $138 million extension with the 49ers, according to the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. Of the $138 million, $30.1 million is a signing bonus, and $55.1 million is guaranteed. There is no guaranteed money after Year 2 of the deal, but there certainly will be dead salary cap space if they attempt to trade or cut him for any reason.
It's remarkable the 49ers were able to afford Williams without cutting or trading their highest-paid player, Jimmy Garoppolo. Restructuring Dee Ford's contract certainly helped them create the necessary cap space, so good for the 49ers, although they’re now paying $50 million per year on Williams and Garoppolo alone.
All the terms of Williams' deal have not yet been released.
Williams is 32, so this deal could keep him on the 49ers until he's 38, if his career lasts that long.
He finished last season on Injured Reserve with an elbow injury. He sat out all of 2019 over a dispute with the Washington Football Team. He missed three games with a thumb injury in 2018. He missed six games in 2017 and finished that season on IR with a knee injury. And in 2016, the NFL suspended Williams four games for violating its policy and program for substances of abuse.
The last time Williams played a full 16-game season was 2013, when he was 25.
So he's not as durable as he was when he was young. But he's still a fantastic left tackle, both as a run blocker and as a pass protector. Although he gave up six sacks last year -- a lot of him. He seemed rusty early in the season after sitting out all of 2019.
Williams also doesn't provide leadership -- he's a lone wolf. So the 49ers signed center Alex Mack to fill their leadership void and need for a quality starting center. And now their offensive line has improved.
Stay tuned for more news on Mack, Williams and the rest of the 49ers' free-agent moves.
