49ers next move after extending Brandon Aiyuk is painfully obvious
The San Francisco 49ers have extended Brandon Aiyuk, bringing one contract conundrum to an end. Now that Aiyuk is taken care of, you'd think the team could exhale and just prepare for Week 1 against the New York Jets, right?
Wrong.
Aiyuk might be locked up on a deal that keeps him in San Francisco until 2028 but he wasn't the only one seeking a new deal. Franchise left tackle Trent Williams is also hoping to get a new contract and unlike Aiyuk, he's been holding out completely. Aiyuk was a hold-in, meaning he'd still show up for practice and was on-site. Williams has been nowhere to be found and this means he's been getting fined.
Ian Rapoport's latest update on Williams didn't exactly bring good news to the 49er faithful either, noting that he did not believe the two sides were close on a new deal. He also mentioned how Williams knows his value.
From @GMFB: It happened — Brandon Aiyuk is signing back with the #49ers. What about Trent Williams? pic.twitter.com/6pj4LoY99X
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 30, 2024
The 49ers need to get a deal done with Trent Williams
The Aiyuk deal was important but Williams is also incredibly important to the 49ers' offensive success. The team signed him to a massive deal just three years ago and there was a potential out in his contract for 2024. He's set to earn roughly $20 million this year but still believes he deserves a new deal.
Considering how difficult it is to find left tackles as good as Williams, this is not something the Niners should continue to avoid addressing. Williams is one of the best in the league at his position and when a quarterback doesn't have a good offensive line in front of him, we've seen how badly that can go.
Williams has been in the league since 2010 when Washington spent the fourth pick on him in that year's draft. Williams spent nine years in Washington before the 49ers managed to pry him away in free agency in 2021 and after just turning 36 years old in July, this could very well be Williams' last chance to get a huge contract.
Will the 49ers end up paying Williams what he wants or will this contract conundrum continue on through the season?
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