The San Francisco 49ers completed their top priority in free agency overnight, coming to terms on a new contract that will make left tackle Trent Williams the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
The news was first reported around 1 am PT by Dianna Russini of ESPN, who tweeted that Williams and the 49ers agreed to a six-year, $138.06 million deal that pays out $55.1 million guaranteed with a $31 million signing bonus. The deal averages out at $23.01 million per year, which ranks 20th overall in the NFL as of Wednesday and puts Williams just ahead of offensive tackle David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers as the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. The overall amount of the deal is the highest for an offensive lineman by a significant margin, dwarfing the $98.75 million deal belonging to Ravens offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.
Terms of the contract were later confirmed by Williams' agency, Elite Loyalty Sports. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media also reports that the first two years of Williams' deal will be fully guaranteed.
The 49ers were expected by many to have to come up with a deal to top that of Bakhtiari given the stiff competition for Williams' services. The Kansas City Chiefs, Indianapolis Colts, and Chicago Bears were reportedly among the teams pushing to pry Williams away from the 49ers.
Williams, 32, joined the 49ers in April of 2020 from the Washington Football Team in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and a third-round draft pick in 2021. A first-round draft selection out of the University of Oklahoma in the 2010 NFL Draft, Williams and Washington had a falling out in 2019 due to his dissatisfaction over how the team handed a medical issue. Williams started 129 of 130 games for Washington before starting 14 for the 49ers in 2020.
The eight-time Pro Bowler now seems set to possibly finish his career with the 49ers while solidifying the left tackle position for years to come, although whether or not this is his final contract remains to be seen. Williams recently expressed interest in playing late into his 30s, if not longer, during a discussion on The Cris Collinsworth Podcast.
"I'm 32 now. I'll be 33 in July," Williams said. "I feel like I can play at a high level well into my (late) 30s, maybe early 40s. I don't know. I ain't gonna make no promises."
Williams added, "I ain't gonna say this is my last [contract] because, at the end of this contract, I could be 37 and I could be the same age as Jason Peters was a couple of years ago, and they may still want me to come and play left tackle. Somebody may want me to play left tackle for them, so I wouldn't X out that possibility. I'm definitely poised for another, in my opinion, six seasons that I can play at a high level. That's kind of how I'm looking at it."
