Trent Williams' Contract Option Bonus Reportedly Not Exercised by 49ers, Updated NFL Salary Cap

The San Francisco 49ers will not exercise Trent Williams' $10 million option bonus ahead of Friday's 4 p.m. ET deadline, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Per that report, that means his "salary cap number now will grow to close to $47 million, but the team is not overly concerned about it and it still is planning to rework his contract before next month's NFL Draft."

The Williams situation doesn't seem to have huge short-term implications for the team's cap situation, though negotiations over a reworked deal remain unresolved.

According to Spotrac, Williams ranked third among tackles in 2026 in total cash ($33 million), trailing Charles Cross ($43 million) and Laremy Tunsil ($34.3 million).

With Williams wanting a raise and his future uncertain, the team appeared to hedge its bets earlier in March when it signed tackle Vederian Lowe to a two-year deal worth up to $12 million. The team could also address the position at the draft.

But ideally for the Niners, Williams—a 12-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro—will return in 2026.

"Trent loves being a Niner," 49ers general manager John Lynch told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. "We love having Trent as a Niner. And it's up to us how to figure that out, to thread that needle. There's some unique circumstances. We all know how Trent is as a player, and how great of a player he's been. He's going to be 38-years-old. And there's some things that go into that."

For now, a resolution remains elusive.