What 49ers Declining Trent Williams' Option Means for the 2026 Season

The San Francisco 49ers had a big decision to make with Trent Williams on March 20. They had to decide whether to pick up an option bonus that was due. According to Adam Schefter, the 49ers do not plan to pick up the option.

What will the San Francisco 49ers do with Trent Williams this offseason?

By not picking up the option, they are not paying him out $10M immediately. By paying it out, they would have been able to push the cap hit off of this season and spread it across the next couple of seasons. By declining it, the 49ers have decided to add $10M to the cap hit already on Williams, making his cap hit nearly $47M.

This would typically be hard for a team to do, but the 49ers currently have enough cap space to handle the hit. Schefter reported that San Francisco is currently not concerned.

This is likely a bit of a negotiation tactic. Williams knew that the 49ers needed to either pay him out, which would essentially guarantee his status on the roster next season, or eat a big cap hit this year. The 49ers called his bluff by eating the cap hit, and thus giving him no guarantees beyond this year.

Feb 1, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Williams (71) throws the ball during NFC practice at th — Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The 49ers will have $20M in dead money after this year, but they will not owe Williams anymore after this season and can decide to move on from Williams next offseason if they want to.

Of course, just because San Francisco can handle this cap hit does not mean that they want to. They still need to sign their draft class, keep money in case things happen during the year, and fill out the rest of their roster. So, while they are in good cap standing right now, things could get tight very quickly.

Beyond that, if Williams does play well next year and is healthy, they do not have any replacement plan for him and they would want him to be back.

At the end of the day, Williams is looking for security beyond this season. The 49ers are looking to lower the cap hit on Williams this year. Both things can be accomplished if the two sides come together on an extension, which is why San Francisco does not appear to be worried yet.

The move today puts the ball back in Williams' court as the two sides look for the right dollar amount to keep him in San Francisco.