49ers make a nice gesture and restructure Trent Williams’ contract

The San Francisco 49ers made a nice gesture by restructuring Trent Williams’ contract.

The San Francisco 49ers were faced with a difficult situation this offseason given the uncertainty surrounding Joe Staley‘s future status. But they ended up handling it about as well as anyone could have hoped.

Once it was clear that the legendary Staley wouldn’t be returning, the 49ers pulled the trigger on trading for seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams who had been embroiled in a lengthy contract dispute with the Washington Redskins.

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Suddenly, the 49ers had managed to replace the incredible Staley who was still playing at a high level with the equally-impressive Williams who, before missing the entire 2019 season, had made seven consecutive Pro Bowl appearances.

The 49ers made sure to secure their Joe Staley replacement.

The 49ers acted proactively securing the left tackle position with one of the best in the game. It really doesn’t get any more proactive than that.

And clearly, they haven’t wasted any time making the big man feel right at home in San Francisco.

As reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the 49ers have apparently restructured Williams’ contract to give him more money up front. This is especially important considering that the 31-year-old didn’t make anything sitting out all of last year.

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Evidently, the Niners didn’t want him waiting around for his money any longer and they offered him a kind gesture by giving him some up front. Now, he’s still set to make the same $12.5 million in 2020, but they essentially just gave him somewhat of a pro-rated signing bonus.

With Williams on the final year of his contract, it would make sense for the 49ers to try and re-sign him past this year given the future draft capital that they gave up. Clearly, he isn’t seen as a one-year, stop-gap solution.

And following Williams’ ugly falling-out with Washington, it makes perfect sense for the 49ers to make him feel welcome in the organization. If nothing else, it’s simply a kind gesture and the sign of a well-run organization.

That stuff goes a long way with players and John Lynch and company know this.

Look for Trent Williams to pick up where he left off when he was last on the gridiron in 2020. And now, he’ll have some extra motivation to succeed in San Francisco.