While Brandon Aiyuk's contract situation has dominated headlines this offseason, another key San Francisco 49ers contributor's holdout has flown more under the radar. Although Aiyuk isn't practicing with his teammates, he has been present at training camp, even as speculation swirls around his status.
Meanwhile, Trent Williams has not reported to training camp and is holding out for a restructured deal. The offensive lineman, widely regarded as one of the best to ever play the game, has already incurred nearly $2 million in fines. However, he is likely confident that securing more guaranteed money in a new deal would offset these penalties.
Despite Williams' absence, which is felt most acutely by the younger players who would benefit from his leadership during camp, his teammates remain optimistic that the situation will be resolved.
"Trent's an incredible leader," fullback Kyle Juszczyk told reporters on Thursday. "He's got this aura around him that, obviously, we all think so highly of him, and he's so talented. People seem to gravitate to him. So when he's around, it builds a camaraderie. It definitely pushes other offensive linemen to meet that standard.
"But I really am confident that he'll be here soon, and I think we'll get things figured out."
Unlike the Aiyuk situation, there is little doubt that a deal between the 49ers and Williams will be reached. Williams is by far their best offensive lineman, and the team would undoubtedly struggle without him. It's not a situation you want to put third-year quarterback Brock Purdy in, missing your best blocker up front.
"Trent Williams is Trent Williams," tight end George Kittle said on Wednesday. "He's like the greatest football player to ever play the game. It's like him and Aaron Donald—I mean, that I've played against. For all the people who are going to list off 90s and 80s players, I'm sorry. But the best I've ever played with.
"And he's also like a massive human being. He's a silverback. He just has a presence to him, and so not having him in the locker room at all and stuff like that, it's weird. But we all love Trent, and he's doing what he thinks is best for him, so it's okay."
Williams' absence has had an upside for some of the younger offensive linemen, who are gaining valuable experience in practice. One of those players is Jaylon Moore, who has been filling in at left tackle.
"I think Jaylon Moore's done a good job of playing left tackle for us," Kittle shared. "And also, I appreciate getting extra reps because one thing about Trent Williams is I don't need to practice with Trent that often because he's so good that it's more like, 'Hey, George, get out of the way so I can block this guy by myself.' And I'm like, 'Hey, man, you make my job easier.'
"So getting the extra reps with Jaylon, I think, is really beneficial because he's gotten a lot of snaps for us in the last couple of years, and so if I can get really good at working with him, Trent will just fit in seamlessly. I'm not worried about it."
