With the 49ers' 2024 NFL season opener a little more than 10 days away, both Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch remain positive about San Francisco reaching a contract agreement with Trent Williams.
“I’m optimistic that things will work out with Trent,” Shanahan said Wednesday. “I’m not sitting here knowing what day it will be. We are getting close to playing a game, so my mind is completely on preparing for a game without those guys. But yeah, I feel when two guys want to get a deal done, usually it happens.”
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If an agreement is reached before the 49ers welcome the New York Jets to Levi’s Stadium on Sept. 9 for their "Monday Night Football" season opener, Shanahan said they will be careful with the All-Pro left tackle, just as they were with Nick Bosa when he returned after a contract-induced holdout.
“Depends on when we see [Williams], how he looks and how he feels,” Shanahan said. “I haven’t talked to him for a number of days, but Trent will give every day. We will let it be as close as possible, but we just got to get with him, we got to see him, talk to him.
“Very similar to how we were with Bosa. There wasn’t a day that we would put on the calendar, what would be our last day. You hope it’s every day that has already passed. So each day makes it harder and harder, but you don’t really make that decision until you see someone and talk to him.”
Bosa and the 49ers did not reach an agreement until Sept. 6, 2023, four days before the team was set to open up the season in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. On Sept. 10, 2023, the All-Pro suited up and was on the field for 30 plays, or 56 percent. The 49ers were ahead 20-7 at the half, easing the need for the defensive star to be on the field, but even with a narrower margin, Bosa likely would have remained on the sidelines.
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Lynch, like Shanahan, is optimistic that a deal will be done, but also stated that there were no updates to offer.
“There’s good communication,” Lynch said. “We are constantly working, throwing out ideas, to try to have a break through and it just hasn’t happened. Trent is a fantastic player. He is a tremendous leader on this team. I will never fall short on my praise of Trent and what he’s meant to this place. We value Trent, we love Trent, we want Trent here, and I’m hopeful that can happen soon.”
With the passing of each day decreasing the preparation time that Williams will have for Week 1, there might be questions about how ready any player could be for an actual game. Towards the end of the 2023 season, Bosa revealed that he didn’t really feel like himself until nearly halfway through the season.
Without actual football reps, it could be a challenge for Williams to be immediately up to speed if and when he returns to the field. There are few positions on a football roster that would offer an easy transition for a player who has not had any on-field reps in six months.
“I think all positions are difficult,” Shanahan said. “I would say, in my opinion, and anyone can have a different opinion, I’d say D-line is one of the easier ones. So I would put that ahead of O-line. The only ones that I would say are truly easy are kicker or punter.”
With the clock ticking and the season's start quickly approaching, Lynch’s positive mindset remains solidly in place.
“I’ve seen these things look dire before and they can quickly turn,” Lynch said. “That gives you hope, that we’ve been in these situations before and those things can quickly be forgotten. We will remain hopeful.”
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