5 contracts holding the 49ers back right now

No. 1: Left tackle Trent Williams

2024 salary cap hit: $31,568,542

All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams is arguably the pound-for-pound best player in the NFL going today.

He's also the most expensive member on the Niners roster.

Like so many other players on this list, Williams' cap hit jumps significantly from 2023 to 2024: $12.6 million up to $31.6. And while it's hard to argue against him being worth the money, considering how many run plays go his way and how effective he is in pass protection, it is a sizable chunk of San Francisco's financial plans.

To be precise, 11.3 percent of the 49ers' total expense sheet, currently.

Williams, who'll turn 36 years old this offseason, said after the Super Bowl that he has no plans of retiring. Based on his contract, that's a wise move. But Williams is going to make $34 million in 2025 and then $37.8 million in 2026, meaning the Niners may have to think of ways in which they can both get out from under those hefty numbers while also getting younger.

Finding a Williams-like presence is nearly impossible, though.

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