2dSeth Wickersham and Don Van Natta Jr.
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Mina Kimes: If Christian Kirk’s healthy, I like the fit with 49ers’ other WRs (1:41)
Mina Kimes and Chase Daniel react to the 49ers signing Christian Kirk to a one-year deal. (1:41)
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Nick WagonerMar 20, 2026, 04:06 PM ET
- Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In over a decade with the company, Nick has led ESPN’s coverage of the Niners’ 2019 and 2023 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick’s protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam’s subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team’s relocation and stadium saga.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The San Francisco 49ers did not exercise the $10 million option bonus on star left tackle Trent Williams‘ contract that was due Friday afternoon, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Williams’ salary cap number will grow to close to $47 million, but the 49ers are not overly concerned about it and still plan to rework his contract before next month’s NFL draft, sources told Schefter.
Williams and the Niners have struggled to find common ground on a contract despite negotiating for much of the offseason. Williams is slated to enter the 2026 season with no guaranteed money or years left on his deal beyond 2026. Before Friday, his salary cap number was slated to be $38.84 million, including a base salary of $22.21 million.
Despite the struggles to strike a reworked deal, Niners general manager John Lynch has been optimistic something will get done.
«Here’s what I know,» Lynch said at last month’s scouting combine. «Trent loves being a Niner, we love having Trent as a Niner, and it’s up to us to figure that out and to thread that needle. There are some unique circumstances in that we all know what Trent is as a player, how great of a player he’s been. He’s going to be 38 years old, and so there’s some things that go into that. But I think we’re all on the same page and feel very positive about where that’s going.»
Though there had been speculation that the 49ers might move on from Williams, they have not actively looked to do so.
San Francisco lacks a proven replacement for Williams on the roster. The Niners added swing tackle Vederian Lowe from the New England Patriots in free agency and retained exclusive rights to free agent Austen Pleasants but with an eye toward depth rather than stepping in for Williams as a starter.
For his part, Williams told ESPN in February that he expects the team to do some maneuvering with his contract, probably in the form of a short extension that would provide him further guarantees and give the 49ers additional 2026 cap relief. He also expressed optimism that such a deal would be struck.
Williams will turn 38 on July 19 and has told ESPN repeatedly that he would like to play until he is 40.
He earned another Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro honors in 2025, bringing his career totals to 12 Pro Bowls and five All-Pro teams.
«We love having him,» Lynch said in February. «My hope, and I’ve shared this with Trent, is that his name is up there in the rafters with the greats that have played for the Niners because he certainly fits that category.»
