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Trent Williams of the 49ers has performed the best against the Lions out of any other opponent.

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he San Francisco 49ers are rolling this offseason. Serious about returning to Super Bowl contention, the 49ers went all-in on adding star power and making sure that they fill several holes on the roster. Depth and injuries were a major issue in 2025, and the 49ers want to address that so that they don’t experience those same issues in 2026. But in the midst of the strong offseason, the 49ers are dealing with a contract standoff with arguably their most important player– left tackle Trent Williams.

Set to have a high cap number of nearly $40 million and entering his age-38 season, the 49ers want to reach a deal that works for both sides– keeping the future Hall of Famer in San Francisco  while lowering that number. And even though the two sides have not reached a new deal, head coach Kyle Shanahan is confident a deal will come to fruition for their star offensive lineman.

Shanahan Confident a Deal Will Get Done

For the second straight year, the 49ers and Williams are in a contract standoff. Last offseason, Williams had no more guarantees left in his deal while this season, the cap number is the issue. But through it all, the 49ers have not made a succession plan clear and have banked on Williams coming back. When asked about the contract situation, Shanahan sounded confident that Williams would return in 2026.

“No updates from me,” Shanahan said at the Fanatics Football Classic over the weekend. “I actually stay pretty much out of that. I know John [Lynch] and everyone is working hard to do that. I believe we will get that done. We love Trent too much and eventually that will work out.”

After dealing with injuries in 2024, Williams returned to top form in ’25, playing in 16 games and earning his 12th Pro Bowl selection and fifth All-Pro. At the end of the season, Williams made it clear that he wanted to continue playing in the NFL, with his agent saying that he needs more guarantees in his contract for 2026 to make playing for the 49ers make sense.

Williams’ Value to the 49ers

Without Williams, the 49ers offensive line is among the league’s worst, with several questions about the current makeup. But when Williams is healthy, the 49ers’ line is in the top half of the league. A future Hall of Famer, Williams provides elite protection for quarterback Brock Purdy and has been a cog on the line from the moment he was acquired by the 49ers ahead of the 2020 season.

Despite his age, Williams is still among the league’s top left tackles and if he and the 49ers do not come to terms on a new deal, there will be plenty of teams that will show a lot of interest in the superstar.

Dylan Grausz A lifelong sports fan, Dylan channels his passion for sports into being a journalist, where his primary goal is to provide readers with content that they love to read. A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, Dylan’s love for the Warriors, 49ers and Giants runs deep, having the ultimate dream of being a beat reporter for one of those teams. More about Dylan Grausz