Trent Williams ends holdout with San Francisco, finalizing new $82.66m deal with 49ers ahead of Monday Night Football season opener against New York Jets

All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams has ended his contract standoff and returned to the San Francisco 49ers, where he’s set to finalize a new agreement, as confirmed by his agency, Elite Loyalty Sports, on Tuesday.

Williams' agency shared on social media that the star tackle is set to rejoin the side just six days before their season opener against the New York Jets, signaling a crucial boost for the 49ers.

The 36-year-old Trent Williams made waves this offseason by holding out, skipping workouts, and sitting out preseason games. However, he's now on the brink of securing a new contract just days before the 49ers kick off their season.

Williams pushed for a fresh deal, citing the absence of guaranteed money in his previous contract, despite the team still owing nearly $30 million in signing bonuses. With both sides working out the final details, Williams' return to the team seems almost imminent.

Elite Loyalty Sports announced on its X page that Williams is heading to San Francisco to finalize the deal.

Fred Williams, Trent's brother, has been active on social media, regularly posting updates about his brother's contract talks with the 49ers. His latest posts, including a video showing Trent boarding a plane bound for the Bay Area, strongly suggest that the long-standing contract dispute, which kept Trent out of action all offseason, is close to being resolved.

Williams penned a six-year, $138.06 million extension after being traded to the 49ers from Washington in 2020. Last year, this contract was restructured, converting $18.23 million of his base salary for 2023 into a $30 million signing bonus proration through 2027 (still on the hook), freeing up nearly $15 million in salary cap space for the team.

The 36-year-old 11-time Pro Bowler is set to bank $20.8 million in 2024 and $23.35 million in 2025. However, all of the guaranteed money has already been paid out, and several offensive tackles have eclipsed him in terms of average annual earnings.

Williams is most likely looking at the four-year, $112 million agreement that the Detroit Lions handed out to offensive tackle Penei Sewell in April as the benchmark. Even though he just turned 36 years old, he still believes he's the best offensive lineman in the league and has started 58 games over the last four seasons for the 49ers.

Williams had seriously considered sitting out regular-season games after being left off the 49ers' initial 53-man roster, marked on the reserve/did not report list. However, with contract negotiations nearing completion, both he and the team can now turn their attention to finishing what they started in last season's Super Bowl pursuit.

The last time the 49ers handed Williams an extension was in 2021 as they made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL with an average annual value of $23 million per year.

He is in talks for a new deal that more accurately reflects his status as one of the NFL's premier offensive linemen. At present, Williams ranks sixth in average yearly earnings, trailing Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell, Christian Darrisaw, Laremy Tunsil, and Andrew Thomas. Having secured three straight First-Team All-Pro selections and with the twilight of his career approaching, Williams is understandably pushing for a salary that matches his elite stature.

Williams had spent the entirety of training camp at home in Texas, holding out in pursuit of a new contract and racking up over $5 million in mandatory fines for missing camp and three preseason games.

However, he is now on the verge of securing a new deal, as the 49ers have managed to settle both of their significant contract standoffs (Brandon Aiyuk being the other) just before the season kicks off on Monday night against the Jets in San Francisco.