San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams remains one of the very best players in the NFL. Despite being 34 years old, he proved that again this past regular season by earning First-Team All-Pro honors.
With his 49ers coming off a disappointing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, Williams is contemplating his future. He’s also not ruling out retirement.
“You do get to that age, especially at the end the year like this, as exhausting as it was. And still not getting quite where you want to be. I get it. You get to that age. But, honestly, I’m just taking it one day at time, and we’ll see how that goes going forward.”
Trent Williams on potential retirement, via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle
Williams, who was ejected for fighting at the end of Sunday’s conference title game, was seen wearing a boot on his left foot and using crutches when he spoke with reporters on Tuesday. He said the injuries were “very minor.”
It’s not uncommon for players Williams’ age to contemplate retirement. That’s magnified after playing through a second consecutive long season in the trenches. In no way does this mean Williams is actually going to call it quits. He has to be emotional after what happened Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.
“It’s a long season. And having two long seasons back-to-back, it does get pretty grueling for a 34-year-old guy like myself,” Williams told reporter. “I’ll be 35 when the [2023] season starts. You do kind of think about what’s life like after football. I’ve done this every year of my life since the second grade.”
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A first-round pick of Washington back in 2010, Williams played with that organization for nine seasons. He was dealt to San Francisco after sitting out the entire 2019 campaign due to a rift with the team.
The future first ballot Hall of Famer has earned a trip to the Pro Bowl each of the past 10 seasons he’s played. This span includes two consecutive All-Pro honors.
Trent Williams did sign a six-year, $138 million extension with San Francisco back in 2021. He would be giving up nearly $40 million in base pay over the next two seasons if the star left tackle did opt to retire.