Trent Williams and 49ers sign new contract to end strike

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Trent Williams’ strike is over.

According to Williams’ agency, the San Francisco 49ers are signing a new contract with him that will end their lengthy contract dispute and enable the star left tackle to play in the season opener next Monday against the New York Jets.

Social media posts by Williams’ brother featured the 11-time Pro Bowler on his return to the Bay Area on Monday night, and his agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, confirmed on Tuesday in social media that the three-time All-Pro was “on his way to SF to sign a new contract with the 49ers.”

Williams, 36, has missed all of San Francisco’s training camp and has amassed more than $4 million in fines for missing every practice and three preseason games. Williams, who spent his time away from the team at home in Houston to prepare for the upcoming season, would have earned $20.05 million this season under the six-year, $138.1 million contract he signed in 2021.

The Niners cut Williams from their 53-man roster last week and left him on the reserve/non-reporting list. San Francisco created over $5.4 million in salary space on Tuesday by restructuring defensive end Maliek Collins’ contract, according to ESPN’s Field Yates.

This is the second time the Niners have re-signed a star player this offseason. In June, they made a similar deal with Christian McCaffrey that gave the running back significant guarantees and increased his average annual salary.

The intensified negotiations between Williams and the 49ers came less than a week after the reigning NFC champions settled a similar contract dispute with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who signed a four-year, $120 million deal that includes $76 million in guaranteed buyouts.

The Niners, for their part, never seemed overly concerned about Williams’ departure. Coach Kyle Shanahan expressed no concern about Williams earlier this month, saying, “I think we’ll get through this.”

Williams is widely considered the NFL’s best offensive lineman and has an average annual salary that ranks sixth among tackles after Tampa Bay’s Tristan Wirfs, Detroit’s Penei Sewell and Minnesota’s Christian Darrisaw all signed high-dollar contracts this offseason. Houston’s Laremy Tunsil and the Giants’ Andrew Thomas also earn more than Williams in terms of average annual salary.

Williams’ current contract also no longer guarantees any additional salary, but the 49ers still have to pay nearly $30 million in prorated signing bonuses through 2027 due to the contract restructuring.

Williams was rated as the NFL’s best pass-blocking tackle in 2023 with a 95.8% pass-blocking win rate. The Niners averaged 6.05 yards per carry when running behind Williams to the left side last season, while averaging 4.45 yards per attempt on all other run attempts.

Last season, Williams missed two games, played in another despite injury, and played just 12 snaps in a meaningless Week 18 game against the Rams. The 49ers were 0-4 in those games and 12-1 in all others.

Given the current problems on the offensive line, Williams’ return comes not a moment too soon for the Niners. Their three best guards – Aaron Banks (broken pinky), Spencer Burford (broken hand) and Jon Feliciano (knee surgery) – have missed a lot of practice time. Feliciano will miss regular season games.

Fourth-year veteran Jaylon Moore handled left tackle duties in Williams’ place throughout the preseason, but Williams is expected to quickly return to his starting position upon his return.