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\nFans and analysts will get a clearer picture on what the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 imminent plans are with stalwart left tackle Trent Williams awfully soon.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a countdown\u2026 literally.<\/p>\n
\nFans and analysts will get a clearer picture on what the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 imminent plans are with stalwart left tackle Trent Williams awfully soon.<\/p>\n
Like, probably by-the-end-of-the week soon.<\/p>\n
Williams\u2019 offseason has been tumultuous, as he and the Niners have been engaged in a contractual standoff. From San Francisco\u2019s vantage point, it likely wants to lower his 2026 cap hit from nearly $39 million down to something far more reasonable. And from Williams\u2019 side, he\u2019d want guaranteed money for the upcoming year, of which there\u2019s none, before his current deal expires in 2027.<\/p>\n
This led to subsequent reports and speculation the 49ers could aim to move Williams this offseason, potentially releasing him but more likely seeking out a trade since there\u2019d be an awfully high market for the future Hall of Famer\u2019s services.<\/p>\n
Should either of those two outcomes happen, though, it\u2019d have to be in the very near future.<\/p>\n
As in the next couple of days.<\/p>\n
49ers have a clear deadline to move Trent Williams (if they actually want to)<\/p>\n
The opening wave of free agency might have been a target window for a would-be Williams trade, but nothing materialized, and there were no reports of serious discussions surrounding the soon-to-be 38 year old.<\/p>\n
But, there is a hard deadline that bears attention.<\/p>\n
Williams has a $10 million bonus due on Friday, March 20, according to Over the Cap. The bonus\u2019 cap hit is spread out over void years through 2029, but if the Niners want to get out from under having to pay the physical cash to Williams, it\u2019d serve them best to move him prior to that date.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a point made by ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell, too:<\/p>\n
\u201cWilliams is due $31 million in 2026, none of which is guaranteed. That changes Friday, when Williams is due a $10 million bonus. If the 49ers don\u2019t want to pay that bonus (or the broader $31 million), they\u2019ll decide on Williams\u2019 future before Friday.<\/p>\n
From the star tackle\u2019s perspective, the time to make a decision would have been weeks ago. If Williams was going to hit the open market, the time for him to get there would have been before free agency, when every team still had plenty of cash to throw around. In the Niners waiting until mid-March, Williams won\u2019t have the same sort of market or chance of landing something in the ballpark of $31 million if he\u2019s released. Both sides know that\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
If Williams remains on the roster by March 10, it\u2019s about as clear an indication San Francisco plans on having him around into the season. And while that doesn\u2019t automatically mean the standoff is in the past (Williams has held out before and could easily do so again), it pretty much crosses off the chance of a trade or outright release.<\/p>\n
Stand by for Friday, right?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s a countdown\u2026 literally. Fans and analysts will get a clearer picture on what the San Francisco 49ers\u2019 imminent plans are with stalwart left tackle Trent Williams… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166608,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-166607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"\n