Six-time Pro Bowl tackle Joe Staley retiring could have been disastrous for the San Francisco 49ers. Somehow, John Lynch and Co. managed to mitigate the loss, and possibly even improved the offensive line, by trading for seven-time Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams.
Williams arrives with just one year remaining on his contract. He would love a long-term deal with the 49ers but isn't stressing over the situation. Williams knows, if he continues to perform at a high level on the football field, everything will work itself out.
"I didn't view this situation as me just wanting to come here for one year," Williams told Greg Papa and John Lund on Thursday during a KNBR interview, "but that's the business side of football. Obviously, there's interest from both sides for us to get a long-term deal done but, right now, I just want to get back on the field and prove my worth before I can even talk about what I think a contract should look like.
"I want to get on the field and kind of show them what they're getting, and just get my feet wet, get with my teammates, just be a football player. That's ultimately what we get paid to do."
Williams is scheduled to earn $12.5 million this season. That's a hefty salary that will only go up if the tackle impresses his coaches this year.
Added Williams: "I feel like if I can be the dominant football player I've shown I can be, then the contract part will take care of itself."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Williams below.