placeholder image

Photo courtesy of the San Francisco 49ers


Rosenthal expects 49ers tackle Trent Williams to be the highest-paid player in free agency

Mar 3, 2021 at 9:19 AM--


Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers let wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders leave via free agency after pulling off a mid-season trade with the Denver Broncos to acquire him. He was seen as a piece that could help lift the team to a championship, and it came very close to accomplishing that last year.

Could offensive tackle Trent Williams be one-and-done, too? Last year, San Francisco traded for Williams to replace the retiring Joe Staley, giving up draft capital in the process. Williams is the most prominent name among the 49ers' long list of impending free agents.

NFL Network's Gregg Rosenthal recently ranked his top 101 free agents in 2021. Williams came in at No. 2 behind only Dak Prescott. He doesn't feel the Dallas Cowboys quarterback will hit the open market, though—unlike Williams.

"A Hall of Fame-caliber player like Williams performing near his peak at a premium position will do incredibly well in the open market," wrote Rosenthal in his analysis. "(And Williams will get there because the 49ers agreed not to tag him.) Great tackles often play well into their late 30s, which is why I fully expect Williams to become the highest-paid player at his position."

Rosenthal recently spoke with Andrew Siciliano on NFL Network and expressed that Williams could find himself in high demand in a couple of weeks.

"He is (going to hit free agency) because his agent was smart enough to put a no franchise tag clause in his last contract, and he went out and he balled," Rosenthal said. "I feel like people don't know how good Trent Williams is. I think he's going to be in Canton one day, especially if he stays healthy for the rest of his career. At his age, 32, turning 33, guys can play left tackle for four, five, six more years at a high level. He is one of the strongest left tackles we have ever seen in the NFL, and he's coming off a season where I think he played as well as any left tackle in the league.

"A lot of talk about, oh, the cap's going down. It's not going to matter for Trent Williams. He is going to get paid. I think he will be the highest-paid player in free agency and very possibly the highest-paid left tackle in the NFL."

That may not bode well for San Francisco, which is estimated to have just about $13 million in salary-cap space. Right now, according to Spotrac, the highest-paid tackle is David Bakhtiari, who earns an average of $23 million a year.

The 49ers reportedly had "extensive" contract talks with Williams' representatives just before the end of the season, but the discussions didn't result in a new deal for the eight-time Pro Bowl selection. Williams has expressed a desire to remain with San Francisco but is curious about free agency.

"Regardless, San Francisco would be the lead candidate," Williams told reporters in January, "so whether it's now or whether it is in free agency, a team has to convince me it's better there than it will be here. Even if it does make it to free agency, it won't be because I'm trying to go somewhere else. It may simply (be) just because I may want to see my value."



Facebook Comments



More San Francisco 49ers News


placeholder image

No Huddle Podcast: 49ers Band-Aid Free Agency & Who Gets Paid?

By Site Staff
Mar 13

(Episode 321) — Brian Renick and Al Sacco react to Arik Armstead being officially released, why the defensive line issues aren't solved, shifting focus to helping the offensive side of the ball, possible draft pick at 31, the time of having many superstars is closing, Deebo Samuel trade rumors, maneuvering the cap before you pay Brock Purdy and more! The audio for the show is embedded above. Remember to subscribe! You can listen to the latest "No Huddle Podcast" episode above, from our dedicated podcast page, on


placeholder image

49ers-Texans player-for-player trade fell apart on Tuesday

By David Bonilla
Mar 13

Defensive tackle Arik Armstead is now a free agent after the San Francisco 49ers released him on Wednesday. However, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports that he was almost headed to the Houston Texans. A source told Barrows that on Tuesday, the 49ers had a deal in place to trade Armstead for Texans defensive tackle Maliek Collins. However, the deal fell apart when the Texans agreed to terms with edge rusher Danielle Hunter. Despite the failed trade, the 49ers ended up acquiring Collins in exchange for a seventh-round pick, the No. 232 overall selection in next month's draft. Collins is the second defensive tackle San Francisco has added this week, with the


placeholder image

49ers DE Chase Young attracting interest in free agency

By David Bonilla
Mar 12

The San Francisco 49ers traded for Chase Young last season, hoping the defensive end could significantly boost the pass rush and help propel them to a Super Bowl victory. However, the 49ers fell just short, and Young's impact failed to meet the team's expectations. RELATED: Free Agency Tracker: Signings, Interests, Departures While ESPN's Dan Graziano reported that the 49ers have "at least some interest" in Young returning for the 2024 season, the team will unlikely engage in a bidding war for his services. This is especially true after agreeing to terms on two-year


placeholder image

49ers mailbag: What are the latest free agency moves? Could Arik Armstead still return to SF? Who will be the second starting DT?

By Marc Adams
Mar 13

As we move into the new NFL year, the San Francisco 49ers have been making moves. There have been new additions to the team, and there have been departures. You can keep up with the latest 49ers roster changes here at 49ers Webzone. So far, the 49ers have added: DT Jordan Elliott (Browns, 2-yr, $10M) DE Leonard Floyd (Bills, 2-yr, $20M) LB Eric Kendricks (Chargers, 1-yr) DE Yetur Gross-Matos (Panthers, 2-yr, $18M) DT Maliek Collins (trade with Texans) I can't help but notice that all these players are on defense. Does this mean the 49ers will go heavy on offense during the draft? Perhaps. We'll see how the rest


Latest

Trending News

Share 49ersWebzone