Out of the fire and into the frying pan. That phrase is from a 15th-century fable that describes leaving one bad situation for a worse one. The phrase fittingly describes the current state of the San Francisco 49ers contract drama. Just as fans of the team were able to exhale and celebrate the signing of WR Brandon Aiyuk, now everyone's attention turns to a player the 49ers can less stand to lose—LT Trent Williams.
Like Aiyuk, Williams missed the entire offseason program, as well as training camp and preseason. But unlike Aiyuk, Williams held out, rather than holding in, meaning he hasn't been with his team at all. A year ago, Nick Bosa, who was the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, held out and didn't sign his new deal until a few days before the team's week one game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although Bosa had a good season, it wasn't as stellar as his 2022 performance, and he admitted that the holdout was one reason why.
So how big of a concern is it that WIlliams has yet to agree to a new deal and report? It's a huge deal. For starters, the 49ers offense is not nearly as good without Williams. ESPN's Ben Solak recently took a look at Williams' effect on his team, particularly on his quarterback, Brock Purdy. "Brock Purdy has played 1,435 snaps with Williams, and the 49ers have averaged a whopping 0.18 expected points added (EPA) per play on those snaps," Solak wrote. "In the 147 snaps Purdy has taken without Williams, that EPA per play drops to 0.00 -- just an average offense."
That's a noticeable difference. Not having Williams affects the run game and the passing game. The 49ers need Williams, especially since they have Super Bowl aspirations.
So are the two sides close? Not according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, who while appearing on NFL Live on Friday, said, "The 49ers have work to do. I'm told Trent Williams is not happy, and the threat of him missing games is real. A lot of times that's a negotiating ploy. I don't sense it is right now. He's made $150 million in his career. He's got no guaranteed money left on his deal. He's the fourth-highest-paid left tackle right now, despite being the best the last few years. And he feels this could have been addressed a lot earlier and San Francisco sort of balked on it.
"So, he's going to make them wait even longer. They have had some talks. Nothing had heated up since as of last night and this morning, but the 49ers have a couple of days here before they officially start week one on Monday. They're hopeful to make some progress."
It's concerning, especially when you consider that the 49ers open the season a week from Monday and face a talented New York Jets defense, led by Robert Saleh, who knows the 49ers' offense well. Saleh, of course, served as San Francisco's defensive coordinator from 2017-2020. The Jets are particularly strong upfront, and Williams' absence would be an unwelcomed sight for 49ers fans.
Making things more complicated is the fact that the 49ers currently have only two tackles, Colton McKivitz and Jaylon Moore, on their roster. Since Williams never reported to training camp, he is not on the 53-man roster. And Fowler isn't the only one who believes Williams is willing to miss games.
"He has shown he's willing to miss game checks when he's dissatisfied with his environment," Solak added. "While the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2020 made it tougher for veterans to hold out from training camps with a stricter fine policy, the penalty for holding out from games is as much as it was in 2019." If Williams is indeed willing to miss games, the 49ers truly are in the frying pan.
Watch the Williams segment from NFL Live:
