Mike Garafolo of NFL Network joined Good Morning Football on Monday and shared some insight on impending free-agent offensive tackle Trent Williams, who spent last season with the San Francisco 49ers after joining the team via a trade. Williams is expected to be one of the most sought-after players in free agency, landing a lucrative contract somewhere. That could still be with the 49ers, who have reportedly made strong efforts to retain the eight-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman.
Williams seems to want to gauge his value, though, before making a decision.
"I believe Trent Williams is going to be in the low 20s per year on a deal," Garafolo told Kay Adams. "And he is about to experience free agency for the first time, and that is a big draw for Williams because the 49ers have made a big push in recent days to try to get him under contract and not to the point where other teams can talk to him.
"Well, we're just a couple of hours away, and Williams will open the door, I am told, to speaking to other teams. So don't expect a deal before noon today. Do expect a deal relatively quickly, though, because he knows he's going to be highly sought-after."
Garafolo expects Williams to get near the top of the left tackle market. David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers currently earns an average of $23 million per season, and the NFL Network reporter expects Williams to get close to that mark.
Williams' 32-year-old age shouldn't be a deterrent either. The offensive lineman had one of the best NFL years in 2020 after a year off from football.
"A huge ole bag of money is coming his way," adds Garafolo. "I don't know if it's going to be from San Francisco, but one thing they've got working against them—high state taxes in San Francisco. Some other teams are coming at him, they won't have maybe not even any state taxes."