Kyle Shanahan is Confident the 49ers Will Get Trent Williams Back

The 49ers seem more motivated to work things out with Trent Williams than with Brandon Aiyuk.

Feb 7, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks during a press conference before Super Bowl LVIII at Hilton Lake Las Vegas Resort and Spa. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

When the 49ers talk about Brandon Aiyuk's contract negotiation, they rarely give a straight answer. Instead, they say the situation is "fluid." Suddenly, they're chemists talking about the state of matter.

But when they talk about Trent Williams, they're definite. They say he's going to play for the 49ers this season. They're going to work things out with him, probably before the season starts. Nothing to see here.

Just look at this exchange from Kyle Shanahan's press conference on Friday:

Q: On the radio, obviously you said the Aiyuk situation could go any number of ways. You did express confidence that the Trent situation will eventually be resolved. Is that a fair characterization?

SHANAHAN: “Yes, I think so.”

Q: What gives you the optimism with that is just maybe a matter of time?

SHANAHAN: “I think we have to work out a contract thing and I think Trent, I haven't spoken to him, but I think we'll be able to work that out.”

TRANSLATION: The 49ers are more motivated to work things out with Williams than with Aiyuk. Williams is utterly indispensable to the team and Aiyuk is replaceable in their eyes. Plus Aiyuk has requested the trade and made the organization look bad publicly while Williams has done neither of those things.

It sounds like the 49ers know that Williams doesn't want to do training camp and are prepared to make him an offer before the regular season begins. And he probably wants a raise and some more guaranteed money. As opposed to Aiyuk, who wants to be the second-highest-paid player on the team after Nick Bosa.