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Lynch: 49ers on the 'same page' with Trent Williams, optimistic he stays

San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch said the team is on the “same page” as star left tackle Trent Williams and feels positive that Williams will remain on the team next season.

ESPN reported Tuesday that the two sides have been unable to reach an agreement on a new contract which would lower Williams’ projected salary cap hit of $38.8 million for next season. ESPN reported that the 49ers could cut Williams if no deal is reached.

Lynch told reporters later Tuesday at the NFL scouting combine that he has met with Williams and his agent, Vincent Taylor, in recent weeks in what Lynch described as “really good productive and substantive meetings.” Whether that leads to a resolution to keep Williams with the 49ers remains to be seen.

“Here’s what I know. Trent loves being a Niner. We love having Trent as a Niner. It’s up to us to figure that out and to thread that needle,” Lynch said. “There are some unique circumstances in that we all know what Trent is as a player, how great of a player he’s been. He’s going to be 38 years old and there’s some things that go into that. We’re all on the same page and feel very positive about where things are going.”

This wouldn't be the first time that the 49ers and Williams had a contract dispute with him holding out of all of training camp before the 2024 season before agreeing to a three-year deal worth $82.7 million that is entering its final season. Williams is owed a $10 million option bonus if he is on the roster on April 1 and has a non-guaranteed salary of $22.2 million for this season.

Williams said late in the season that he believed he still had “a few more years” remaining in his career and had no plans to leave the 49ers.

Because of previous bonuses already paid, Williams' cap hit for 2026 is the fifth largest for any non-quarterback next season. San Francisco would carry a $34.2 million dead cap charge if it decides to move on from Williams, but could split that over two years if it designates him a post-June 1 release.

Williams is coming off his 12th Pro Bowl season — the most for any offensive tackle — and is two shy of tying Hall of Famer Bruce Matthews' record for any offensive lineman.

Williams made three straight All-Pro teams from 2021-23 before being hampered by injuries in 2024. He was healthy for most of last season, playing 16 games for the first time since 2013.

Williams' 40 pressures allowed last season were his most since his rookie season with Washington in 2010, according to Pro Football Focus, but he still remained one of the top left tackles in the game in both run and pass blocking.

The 49ers have not drafted a tackle with a day one or day two draft pick since acquiring Williams from Washington during the 2020 draft, leaving the team with no obvious succession plan for when Williams' tenure in San Francisco is finished.

NOTES: Lynch also said the team re-signed 40-year-old long snapper Jon Weeks to a one-year deal. K Eddy Pineiro and P Thomas Morstead are set to be free agents if they don’t sign new deals before the start of the league year. ... Lynch said the 49ers will plan to release WR Brandon Aiyuk at the start of the league year after voiding his guarantees for 2026 last year.

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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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