The San Francisco 49ers entered training camp without two of their best players. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk was present but refused to participate in practices due to the ongoing trade rumors and contract negotiations. 11-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams was not present at all, deciding to hold out as he sought more guaranteed money on his current contract.
San Francisco was finally able to agree to a four-year $120 million contract with Aiyuk last week, an offer that the team reportedly had put on the table two weeks prior to his accepting it.
On Tuesday morning, they also got good news about Williams.
San Francisco 49ers Left Tackle Trent Williams Ends His Hold Out
The 49ers open their season against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football next week. Fortunately, they will have their All-Pro left tackle for the start of the regular season.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Williams and the 49ers are close enough to an agreement that the left tackle felt comfortable reporting to the team on Tuesday morning:
#49ers perennial All-Pro LT Trent Williams is back in town and ending his holdout. The deal isn’t done, but it’s close enough for Williams to report. Per agent @eliteloyaltysp, a reworked contract is expected.
Brandon Aiyuk? ✅
Trent Williams? ✅SF’s business is handled. pic.twitter.com/CqGhjS7YCT
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 3, 2024
Williams, who is 36 years old, currently does not have any more guaranteed money on his contract, a six-year deal that he signed back in 2021.
Earlier this offseason, San Francisco re-did running back Christian McCaffery’s contract so that he could have more guarantees as well.
Getting Trent Williams Back on the Field Was Important to the San Francisco 49ers
Obviously, the situation with Aiyuk took precedent for the 49ers over the course of the offseason due to the fact that he had requested a trade. Other NFL teams were involved. However, that did not mean that they were not intent on figuring something out with Williams to keep him happy, too.
The fact of the matter is that players as great as Williams do not always need the training camp reps in order to be ready for the regular season. According to Nick Wagoner of ESPN, head coach Kyle Shanahan recently said, “I think we’ll be able to work that out,” while expressing no concern over Williams missing camp.
That being said, having Williams back to protect Brock Purdy is paramount to the 49ers’ potential success in 2024. The offense cannot run as well as it should without him in both the run and passing games.
San Francisco was 0-2 in games that Williams missed last season due to injury.
Prior to his reporting this morning, the 49ers did place Williams on the reserve/did not report list, which means he is not currently on the 53-man roster. San Francisco will have to make a roster move in order for him to be active for the game against New York next Monday night.
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