Adam Schefter drops unexpected twist on 49ers' standoff with Trent Williams

The San Francisco 49ers' offseason hadn't seemed too stressful until reports broke that they were prepared to move on from All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams if some sort of contractual agreement couldn't be made between then and the start of the league new year on March 11.

Then, in light of having to absorb a massive dead-cap hit, thoughts of a would-be trade involving Williams began to surface just ahead of the two-day negotiating widow leading up to that March 11 date, which prompted no shortage of trade rumors and speculation.

It all seemed as if Williams and the Niners couldn't bridge the gap between a $39 million cap hit this year and additional guarantees the future Hall of Famer would be seeking, meaning it was likely his time remaining in the Bay Area would be counted by the day, perhaps the hour.

Maybe not, though.

On Tuesday, ESPN's Adam Schefter discussed the Williams situation on The Pat McAfee Show and suggested the reports and rumors of Williams' imminent departure weren't a true indication of what's actually going to happen.

"The 49ers aren't shopping him," Schefter declared. "And he's not expected to be traded. Now, could something materialize? Sure, something always could. But I don't think that's probably a realistic option, and it's more along the lines of them placating him, saying, 'Go ahead and see if you could find somebody willing to pay you that,' and take care of the [49ers asking price] at the same time.

"That's a tough double-header to satisfy."

Adam Schefter's report on Trent Williams' situation with 49ers makes sense

Indeed, the talk of the Niners simply releasing Williams despite a would-be $34 million dead-cap hit seemed outrageous, and despite turning age-38 this offseason, the stalwart lineman would have a robust market.

And the Niners certainly would want to take care of that.

The reports discussing Williams' imminent release could have stemmed from teams' front offices and executives, many of whom got wind of San Francisco dangling Williams in a manner like Schefter listed above. It sure sounds like the 49ers gave permission to the left tackle's agent to seek out likable trade-and-extend scenarios that would've met the Niners' asking price, likely in the range of a first-round draft pick, plus some change.

It didn't take long for those same executives to leak back to Schefter and others that San Francisco had Williams on some sort of trade block.

Just not a realistic one, which means the two sides are probably heading back toward a new agreement, albeit one that will be awfully stressful to reach.