49ers Rumors: Trent Williams to sit out until NFL Week 1 unless he gets new contract | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats & Rumors

San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams may be willing to play hardball while he waits for a new contract.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Monday that Williams “will not be available until his contract is restated,” putting his status for the Niners’ Week 1 matchup with the New York Jets in jeopardy.

Williams has three years remaining on the six-year, $138.1 million extension he signed with San Francisco in 2021. However, he has no guaranteed salary left on the deal, and he has seen the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tristan Wirfs and Detroit Lions’ Penei Sewell reset the tackle market this offseason.

The 49ers are in trouble.

Williams was an All-Pro for the third straight season in 2023 and earns plenty of credit for a team that is tied for the sixth-fewest sacks allowed (34). He’s one of the most important players on the roster, one the reigning NFC champions can ill afford to miss.

But Williams also turned 36 in July, so if his contract were extended for more years it would mean he would be under contract until he is 40.

San Francisco’s payroll system means General Manager John Lynch must be smart about his spending in the long run.

Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is also eyeing a new contract, one that would almost certainly push his salary to $30 million per year. Quarterback Brock Purdy, wideout Deebo Samuels and tight end George Kittle are free agents in 2026. In the secondary, Charvarius Ward and Talanoa Hufanga are both headed to free agency in 2025.

Lynch can’t keep everyone and if Williams’ salary were to increase by a few million dollars, there would be less money available.

On her Shovel City podcast, Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported on August 13 that Williams and the 49ers have so far failed to make “significant progress” in negotiations. Based on Fowler’s latest report, one of the two sides will have to blink to ensure San Francisco gets its starting left tackle back.