Resign Trent Williams? Not so fast!

MidWestDynasty
February 21, 2021

If you haven't heard, the expected salary cap for the 2021 NFL season is at or a little higher than $180 million.  Because of this cap, the 49ers are going to have several choices to make to keep under the salary cap while also making sure the 2020 season was merely a blip in regards to the team's ability to be competitive in the difficult NFC West division and the league as a whole.  One vital decision the team needs to make is whether to resign LT Trent Williams.  If you take a gander at many arguments surrounding this decision, the overall consensus is the team should resign Williams.  However, I think this would be a big mistake by the 49ers, and here's why.

HIS AGE

By the time the 2021 regular season begins, Trent Williams will be 33 years old, so there is a valid question of how much he has left in the tank. 
Don't get me wrong; I would love to see Williams continue to play until he feels ready to hang up his cleats, but the reality is that offensive tackles tend to start to decline around his age due to the wear and tear they experience as a member of the offensive line.  Joe Mahoney of SB Nation wrote an article that covers this topic, and it can be read at https://www.milehighreport.com/2017/2/27/14724674/age-wall-for-offensive-tackles-nfl.  Williams could buck the trend by continuing to play at a high level, but the odds are stacked against him.

HIS INJURY HISTORY

This is a list of the known injuries or illnesses Williams has dealt with since he entered the league:

- Concussion
- Strained MCL
- Thigh
- Knee
- Cancerous growth on the head
- COVID-19
- Elbow
- Thumb

There is probably more to add to that list, but Williams has a penchant for playing through pain, which is essentially a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, it's good that he is not willing to pull himself off the field; on the other hand, doing so can open the player up to other injuries which can shorten his career or cause him to miss games which in turns results in leaving the blind side of the QB to a backup or a fill-in.  Yikes.

HIS ASKING PRICE

A while back, it was reported that Williams was wanting to test his value on the free-agent market after some contract discussions with the 49ers front office.  So what his value on the market?  Despite his age and injury history, Williams is considered to be one of the best LTs currently playing in the NFL, so there is a strong likelihood that he will be paid as such, and that alone could most likely eliminate any realistic chance the 49ers have at resigning Williams. 
Consider this:  According to spotrac.com, the highest average for a LT belongs to David Bakhtiari of the Green Bay Packers at $23 million.  If Williams wants around that or more, then the 49ers should move on from Williams because they are not going to be able to match or beat out the competition that may have more money to burn unless they make some big sacrifices.  Besides, if that occurs...

THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS

It isn't the end of the world if the 49ers are unable to sign Williams.  The 49ers have some decent options available to replace Williams in the draft or free agency. 
For instance, in free agency, the team could sign Alejandra Villanueva, a linesman who isn't of the same caliber as Williams but has done fairly well at the position with the Steelers and is more of a stalwart at staying off the injury list than Williams has.
Or the team could draft a LT in the first or second round of the draft. The LT position has good depth at it this year, with prospects like Dillon Radunz and Christian Darrisaw being good options to take with the 12th pick and others like Alex Leatherwood or Liam Eichenberg being suitable second-round choices.
And then you have the trade avenue.  Orlando Brown Jr. of the Baltimore Ravens recently stated that he wants to remain at LT because that is where he feels the most comfortable at -and his play in 2020 easily backs up that boast-, but the problem is the Ravens already have a LT they just paid in Ronnie Stanley.  The only reason Brown was given a chance at the position after playing at RT for his first couple of seasons was due to a severe ankle injury Stanley sustained in the Week 8 match-up against the Steelers.  But because of that, the Ravens have a potential controversy brewing.
This is where the 49ers come into the equation because they could trade their first-round pick for this year and the next to the Ravens in exchange for Brown or Stanley. 
Of the two players, Brown is the better option of the two because he will be in the final year of his rookie contract, giving the 49ers the money needed to address other areas on the team; it will also put the 49ers in the position to pay him next off-season when the salary cap is expected to go up more.
That said, the 49ers also could not go wrong with acquiring Stanley who has excelled as a premiere pass blocking LT on a team primarily built to run the football.  Sound familiar?

THERE ARE OTHER AREAS TO ADDRESS

If the 49ers do meet the contract demands of Williams, the team faces a strong likelihood of not fielding a Super Bowl contender.  Yeah, that may sound overly dire, but how else can you describe a situation in regards to a team who needs a FB, C, LCB, RCB, NCB, slot receiver, edge rusher, and depth at WR and TE?  Oh, and the impending need to extend Warner; we can't forget about that, can we?  I don't think the 49ers will want to have a rookie playing at each of those positions, so unless the 49ers hit a home run digging through the bargain bins, there is no way the team could address even some of those needs while paying what Williams believes he is worth.

BONUS - THE DEE FORD CONUNDRUM

In recent weeks, there has been a growing dilemma of the 49ers having to pay Dee Ford $11.6 million if he is still on their roster by April due to a clause in his contract.  That is because there has been little to no indication Ford will be 100% healthy by then.  If that scenario comes to be, then there will be almost no chance of the 49ers retaining Williams.

CONCLUSION

There are several reasons why resigning Williams would be an error in decision-making.  They range from his age and health to their being cheaper options.  Then you have to factor in needing to fill other positional vacancies and keeping some key playmakers happy.  All in all, the 49ers would be better off in letting another team pay Williams his value.