Will 49ers LT Trent Williams Retire After 2024?
![Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) arrives before playing against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) arrives before playing against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_5434,h_3056,x_0,y_348/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/ImagnImages/mmsport/all_49ers/01j4s31h4pbjfj5k5fy1.jpg)
Call me crazy, but Trent Williams doesn't seem particularly motivated to play football anymore.
He's 36. He's a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. And he has earned more than $170 million in his career. He doesn't need to play football anymore. He's set for nine lives.
He already doesn't practice during the season. Or he rarely practices -- maybe once a week. And every season, he misses at least two games. So he's practically a part-time player. An elite part-timer, but a part-timer nonetheless.
That's why his current hold out should come as no surprise. He doesn't seem like he wants to participate in training camp, anyway. Having a financial reason to skip it is convenient.
But he also seems like he could retire if the 49ers don't meet his demands. Which makes you wonder if retirement is on his mind.
Williams is scheduled to earn roughly $20 million this season. I'm guessing he wants the 49ers to give him a $10 million raise so he can be the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL this year. I'm guessing he wants to get every last penny he can this year before he calls it quits next year. Call it a golden parachute. He wants one last massive pay day before he rides out into the sunset.
The 49ers have to be careful not to guarantee the remaining years on Williams' deal. Because if they do and he retires, their dead cap hits will be so massive, they'll be in salary cap hell for years.