Trent Williams' latest contract hurdle is something to monitor in San Francisco.
The three-time All-Pro is set to account for a $38.8 million cap number in 2026, the third and final year of his revised contract signed in 2024. Williams and the 49ers are currently working to find a solution, general manager John Lynch said on Tuesday.
"What I'll tell you is that in recent weeks I've met with both Trent and with his agent, Vincent Taylor, and had really good and substantive meetings," Lynch told reporters in Indianapolis at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"Here's what I know: Trent loves being a Niner. We love having Trent as a Niner, and it's up to us to figure that out and to thread that needle."
A 12-time Pro Bowler with a sterling reputation for elite performance, Williams has a less attractive history of financial difficulties with his employer. Years of disharmony with Washington forced a 2020 draft day trade to San Francisco, where he received a revised deal nearly two months after being traded. After signing a massive extension in 2021, Williams held out of training camp in 2024 with the hope of landing a friendlier deal that paid him earlier in the term.
Williams had his wish fulfilled just days before the start of the 2024 season, agreeing to a reworked three-year deal worth $82.66 million that included $48 million fully guaranteed at signing, a $25.69 million signing bonus and $27.6 million in salary in the first year of the agreement. After missing seven games in 2024, Williams returned to his elite status in 2025, earning his 12th Pro Bowl nod and a second-team All-Pro selection.
The downside to that pay day, however, was the collective acceptance that the third and final year of his deal would include a hefty cap number. At $38.8 million, Williams would account for more than 11 percent of the 49ers' entire projected cap in 2026, according to Over The Cap.
For a 49ers team looking to build on its run to the Divisional Round in 2025, it will need as much available cap space as possible.
A restructure remains possible, and Lynch did not seem too concerned about the situation on Tuesday.
"I'm not going to get into specifics of it. What I will say is we met with Vince just today, and I think we're on the right track," Lynch said. "I know this, he's been a tremendous asset to our organization. We love having him. My hope, and I've shared this with Trent, is that his name's up there in the rafters with the greats that have played for the Niners because he certainly fits that category."
The 49ers appear to know they shouldn't be interested in parting with Williams, the third-best tackle in the NFL in 2025 (per Pro Football Focus). Williams turns 38 in July but still fills a crucial role in their Super Bowl ambitions.
Williams' history suggests he could dig in in order to protect his earning power. The 49ers are no stranger to a prolonged negotiation, though (see: Brandon Aiyuk), and if both sides understand the potential of the short-term future, it's fair to expect them to work things out before long.
"There's some unique circumstances in that we all know what Trent is as a player," Lynch said. "How great of a player he's been. He's going to be 38 years old. So there's some thing that go into that. But I think we're all on the same page, and feel very positive about where that's going."
PROGRAMMING NOTE: NFL Network and NFL+ will have live coverage of the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine beginning Feb. 26.
