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49ers' Trent Williams Says He Has Thought About Retirement After 'Grueling' Seasons
February 1, 2023
San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams admitted to reporters Tuesday that he has considered retirement.
Taylor Wirth of NBC Sports Bay Area relayed the quotes:
"It's a long season, having two long seasons back-to-back, it does get pretty grueling for a 34-year-old guy like myself. You do kind of think about what's life like after football, because I've done this every year of my life since the second grade. You do get to that age, especially after ending the year like this and it being as exhausting as it was and still not getting quite where you want to be. I get it, you get to that age. Honestly, I'm just taking it one day at a time and we'll see how it goes."
The 10-time Pro Bowler spent the first decade of his career with Washington (2010-2019) before being traded to the 49ers in 2020.
He's saved his best work for the latter portion of his NFL tenure, making the Associated Press' All-Pro first team each of the past two seasons.
Williams has been one of the best players at his position since being selected No. 4 overall in the 2010 NFL draft out of Oklahoma.
He will be 35 years old before the beginning of the 2023 season, leading to the question of how much longer he can play at an elite NFL level.
"I don't," Williams said when asked if he knew how long he could maintain his current top pace.
"To me, I think it's all about what I can do during the offseason, sticking to my regiment, sticking to the blueprint, studying myself, figuring out ways to get better, figure out anything that I can see on film. That's pretty much what I use this time for. I'm really just taking it one day at a time. There ain't a lot of future to look forward to, so I might as well live in the present."
Williams would obviously be a huge loss for the 49ers, who excelled offensively this season despite starting three different quarterbacks (Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo, Brock Purdy) due to injury.
For now, he remains a member of the 49ers. At the moment, Williams is rehabbing what he called a "very minor" injury, per David Lombardi of The Athletic.
David Lombardi @LombardiHimselfOne more note: Trent Williams wore a walking boot and had crutches in the 49ers locker room today. He declined to discuss his injury or what caused it, but did say that he'll probably be out of the boot within 48 hours and that there's no way it'll compromise his offseason
If this is it for Williams, then he ended his career on a great high note. Per Pro Football Focus, Williams allowed just one sack in 871 offensive snaps for a 13-4 team that reached the NFC Championship Game.