The San Francisco 49ers are working to resolve their contract standoff with All-Pro offensive tackle Trent Williams ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, which begins next week.
While general manager John Lynch has expressed optimism that a deal can be reached to keep Williams in San Francisco for the 2026 season, uncertainty remains. According to Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom, nothing is guaranteed, and other teams are monitoring the situation closely.
Speaking at the NFL meetings in Phoenix, Arizona, Lynch struck a cautious tone.
"Don't want to make any statements, like, 'Hey, we're right there,' because these things have felt like that before," Lynch said. "But I do feel like we're in good communication and hopeful."
La Canfora provided an update on where things stand between the 49ers and Williams, saying that the two sides appear no closer to agreeing on a reworked deal, though the team is making an effort to get it done.
"As we hear it, the 49ers made another push to try to get closure in this situation and sent over a revised contract to Williams within the last few days," La Canfora wrote.
"League sources indicated there is a chance this gets resolved early this week, depending on how comfortable the player is with the latest proposal. And, should the sides not make headway over the coming days, there is potential for this to get sideways."
He added, "The 49ers are willing to pay Williams basically $36M guaranteed over the next two years, with about $24M to be paid to him in 2026."
While such a deal would still make him a top-10 paid offensive lineman, Williams may be seeking to climb even higher in the salary rankings.
"The closer we get to the start of the regular season, the more the 49ers could reasonably conclude that opposing teams will have less appetite to take on a massive salary and thus perhaps the threat of cutting him could result in Williams opting to take what's on the table," La Canfora noted.
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