The San Francisco 49ers were scheduled to deliver left tackle Trent Williams' $10 million option bonus by Friday, March 20.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, they're not going to do that.
Citing sources close to the situation, Schefter reported the Niners are opting not to give the future Hall of Famer that $10 million in guaranteed cash by the deadline date, which will carry a ramification of increasing his cap hit in 2026 from nearly $39 million all the way to $47 million instead:
With today’s 4 pm ET deadline looming, the 49ers are opting not to exercise the $10 million option bonus in Trent Williams’ contract, per sources. Williams’ salary cap number now will grow to close to $47 million, but the team is not overly concerned about it and it still is… pic.twitter.com/uvCahjbNYW
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 20, 2026
If Schefter's report ended there, it'd be a pretty big indicator Williams was on his way out. Remember, salary cap and cash are two very different things, and Williams has zero in guaranteed money remaining on his current deal.
But the ESPN insider also added how San Francisco wasn't "overly concerned" with the situation and was going to try reworking Williams' deal ahead of the draft this April.
It is, essentially, putting off the problem until later. A proverbial "snooze button," if you will.
Trent Williams still has plenty of leverage over 49ers
Despite being active on the free-agent market earlier this month, none of the 49ers' moves were clearly intended to replace Williams at left tackle. That's a sign they're leaning toward retaining the soon-to-be 38 year old, although it's fully possible they pivot to a younger, cheaper tackle at some point early in the draft.
Had the Niners explored contingency plans for Williams' heir apparent, they'd have much more leverage.
But, without a succession plan in place, Williams knows his value to San Francisco is lofty, and it'd be shocking if he doesn't use it to maximize his position in contract discussions.
And it'll be interesting to see how the 49ers respond to that, particularly if they reach a crossover point where they break off negotiations and pursue other options, of which there aren't too many proven ones.
Round 1 of the draft, kicking off on Thursday, April 23, might be the next calendar date to watch as far as Williams' contractual development.
Provided nothing gets agreed upon in the interim and the Niners continue pressing that snooze button.