SF 49ers: 5 most important free agents heading into 2021

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San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 1: SF 49ers LT Trent Williams

There aren’t many instances in which the word “spoiled” would aptly apply to fans of the SF 49ers. But one such would be the last 14 seasons of left tackles.

Thirteen of those came via the now-retired Joe Staley, who was a perennial Pro Bowler and often considered among the best left tackles in the league throughout his tenure. His retirement early in 2020 was made easier due to the Niners acquiring former Washington tackle Trent Williams via trade during the draft.

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And Williams has been more than worth the trade the Niners made, although even at the time the exchange was thought to be more than reasonable given the tackle’s desire to leave Washington, giving his former franchise almost no leverage in trade talks.

The only downside was Williams came into the season on the final year of the contract extension he signed back in 2015 and he made it clear he didn’t want to negotiate a new deal until after the year was over.

A lot of this made sense, since after a bad experience in Washington, Williams wanted to be sure he’d want to be in San Francisco longterm before locking himself in.

But the time has come to get into the conversation and after proving himself to still be an elite left tackle in 2020, the SF 49ers are going to need to find a way to keep Williams around for a few more seasons.

To his credit, Williams has repeatedly stated staying with the Niners is his No. 1 option, something he reiterated during exit interviews this past week, but the team and Williams will need to figure out how to make sure the contract is reasonable for both sides, especially with the salary cap expected to fall for next year.

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Williams must be the top free-agent priority for the SF 49ers this offseason since the alternative is worrying and Williams is a key element to offensive success in 2021 and beyond.