After 49ers left tackle Trent Williams stopped short of guaranteeing he’d be back for the 2023 season in the wake of the team’s NFC Championship Game loss, head coach Kyle Shanahan sounded confident that Williams would eventually decide to keep playing.
Shanahan picked the right horse with that bet. Williams, who no longer has the crutches or walking boot he was using after that game, said from the Pro Bowl festivities on Saturday that any thoughts of retirement have been put away because the 34-year-old will definitely be playing football next season.
“Yeah, for sure,” Williams said, via Grant Gordon of NFL.com. “Next year, the year after. I’m under contract until I’m 39.”
Williams is signed through the 2026 season and his 2023 salary of $19.4 million is the lowest base salary of the remaining years on the pact, which means there are plenty of reasons for Williams to continue playing for as long as possible.