What 49ers LT Trent Williams' Training Camp Holdout Means for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a left tackle of their own to pay...

River Wells | Jul 25, 2024

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Trent Williams (71) against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Things got a little more complicated for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and left tackle Tristan Wirfs on Wednesday.

The first day of training camp for the rest of the NFL hit on Wednesday, and that included both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the San Francisco 49ers. Wirfs is currently seeking a new deal while playing on his fifth-year option, and while he participated in camp on Wednesday and Thursday, another one of the league's best tackles held out in San Francisco.

Superstar Trent Williams has decided not to come to camp in hopes of a raise, the second San Francisco 49ers player to do so alongside Brandon Aiyuk. And because that's the case, the clock may be ticking for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jason Licht to get his deal done sooner or later — in other terms, before Williams gets his.

At the moment, Trent Williams — considered by many to be the best offensive tackle in the NFL — is making around $23 million a year. It should be noted that he's 36 years old already, but that's less than the New York Giants' Andrew Thomas ($23.5 million), the Houston Texans' Laremy Tunsil ($25 million) and the Detroit Lions' Penei Sewell ($28 million). Sewell is the man to beat if you want to reset the market, even if he's a right tackle — and that's also who Tristan Wirfs wants to beat, too.

The pressure will be on in San Francisco to make sure Williams plays, as Aiyuk is also holding out and Williams is likely to be the more valuable player. If that's the case, they'll be looking to up his pay soon, and that could take him above Penei Sewell — and that would make Tristan Wirfs more expensive, too.

The only thing that could prevent Williams from reaching too high is his age. He's 36 years, old, and that makes him older than any of the league's highest-paid tackles. He beats out Lane Johnson (34) and Jake Matthews (32). The 49ers are like to bring this up in negotiations, but Williams' play has yet to drop off so far.

It would serve the Buccaneers well to extend Tristan Wirfs soon, as beating Williams will likely be a priority. That way, you can get Wirfs the money he deserves and perhaps save a little bit if Williams were to get his raise after Wirfs' contract was secured. With that in mind, the two sides may be in a sort of cold war, waiting for one to go before the other one negotiates further.

Either way, the pressure is on in Tampa Bay, and Jason Licht is perhaps running out of time if he'd like to save a little bit of money on Wirfs' well-deserved deal.

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Published Jul 25, 2024

RIVER WELLS

River Wells is a sports journalist from St. Petersburg, Florida, who has covered the Tampa Bay Buccaneers since 2023. He graduated with a journalism degree from the University of Florida in 2021. You can follow him on Twitter @riverhwells.