© Kirby Lee-USA TODAY SportsTrent Williams might stay in San Francisco.
Due to an agreement reached last summer, the 49ers were not permitted to retain left tackle Trent Williams via the franchise tag. They have five days left to negotiate exclusively with the Pro Bowl left tackle, whom they acquired via trade last year.
San Francisco has more than $23M in cap space - the 12th-most as of Wednesday night, but teams will continue to create funds ahead of the March 17 start to the new league year - and Williams launched a successful reboot to his career with the team last season. Williams and Kyle Shanahan also have a history going back to the latter's OC days in Washington, and the eight-time Pro Bowler may not want to play for a third team.
During an appearance on the "Cris Collinsworth Podcast," Richard Sherman predicted Williams would stay with the 49ers and indicated he would play several more seasons. Also on the podcast, Williams replied (via Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk), "That's not a bad take, fellas. Y'all barking up the right tree."
Although Williams will turn 33 this offseason, he will command a high-end left tackle salary. Considering Williams has never hit free agency before, it would not be surprising to see him hold off on a 49ers extension and let them vie for his services against other teams in free agency.
With Laremy Tunsil and David Bakhtiari raising the tackle market to beyond the $22M-per-year point, Williams' next deal may not come in too far below those of the younger blockers. That will put the 49ers to a decision. They traded third- and fifth-round picks to acquire Williams last year and saw the deal work out quite well, even though their season did not go smoothly. After sitting out the 2019 season, Williams graded as Pro Football Focus' No. 1 overall tackle in 2020.
Williams exiting the Bay Area would create a major need for a 49ers team that had avoided such issues for much of this century. Joe Staley held down San Francisco's left tackle job from 2007-19, and on the same day his retirement decision surfaced, the 49ers traded for Williams. The 49ers would check off a key item from their offseason to-do list by retaining him.
Subscribe to Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the most comprehensive newsletter in sports. Customize your email to get the latest news on your favorite sports, teams and schools. Emailed daily. Always free! Sign up now ?
More must-reads:
Related slideshow: The highest-profile free agent for every NFL team (Provided by Yardbarker)