The contract drama surrounding 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has dominated headlines this summer, though another San Francisco star's holdout looms just as large.
San Francisco great Steve Young addressed the team's ongoing contract negotiations with Trent Williams on Monday, expressing dismay that the left tackle has added on to the offseason chaos with his own holdout as the 49ers try to win a Super Bowl.
"The [Super Bowl] window never closes, and it's not going to close on us, but it will narrow. It will narrow significantly next year," Young told KNBR's "Tolbert & Copes" show. "So if the window's [as] open as it's going to be for some time right now, everybody needs to be on board. And that's why Trent ... I think he set the market [with his original contract]. And I think [49ers CEO] Jed [York] and everybody's willing to do that because it's the best tackle in the league.
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"And now you're going to come back and say, 'No, I want to set it again because there's another $8 million collectively that I can go get, and I'm on my last contract and I'm getting old. It's like, bro. Do you not see what we're trying to get done here?"
Three years remain on the contract Williams signed following the 2020 NFL season, and the All-Pro likely seeks a new agreement that replaces much of the non-guaranteed money remaining on his deal with guaranteed money. He also could be looking for a contract that improves his current No. 6 standing on the NFL's list of highest-paid offensive linemen.
Williams will not return to the team until his contract is adjusted, and his holdout could carry into the regular season, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Monday on "SportsCenter."
But on Aug. 16, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan expressed optimism that San Francisco will work out a new deal with arguably the best and most important player on the team. As Week 1 of the 2024 season inches closer without a new contract for Williams, however, his prolonged absence from the team is impossible to ignore -- as is its potential impact on the 49ers' quest to hoist a sixth Vince Lombardi Trophy.
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"And look, that doesn't mean that Jed should keep that money," Young continued. "... And so I think the noise that Trent has made, which, luckily, Brandon's covered him a little bit, I just don't know. You're the best in the league. You've been here for a while. You're older. You're more mature. There's a way to do this that doesn't -- we're still here.
"So look, Brandon's caused his own grief in some ways. I'm sure the 49ers will own their part of it. But Trent's done the same, created some grief as well."
With how long each saga has dragged on, there's a very real possibility San Francisco could be without Aiyuk or Williams -- or both -- when the 49ers kick off their season against the New York Jets on Sept. 9 at Levi's Stadium. And that almost certainly would impact their playoff aspirations.
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