SANTA CLARA – A few, final contract details are being worked out but left tackle Trent Williams and the 49ers are close enough to a deal for him to report today, according to a league source Tuesday morning.
In a sign that Williams’ contract holdout is in its final descent, his private jet landed at San Jose International Airport at 3:34 a.m. this morning.
Williams’ older brother, Fredrick, posted an Instagram Story video of the 49ers’ All-Pro left tackle preparing to board their company’s Gulfstream IV out of Houston at 2:08 a.m. CT. “Year 15 let’s get it!” was posted on the video, alluding to Williams’ upcoming 15th season in the NFL and fifth with the 49ers.
The 49ers are scheduled to practice at 10:55 a.m. to launch Week 1 of the NFL season and prepare for Monday night’s opener against the New York Jets at Levi’s Stadium.
Williams’ agent, Vincent Taylor, of Elite Loyalty Sports is hammering out the final details of Williams’ contract, which figures to put him again near or atop the market for NFL offensive linemen.
Williams has been on the 49ers’ Reserve/Did Not Report list the past month, so the 49ers will need to make a corresponding move to add him to the 53-man roster once his contract is resolved. He’s believed to have been working out his Houston gym throughout training camp. He did show up at June’s mandatory minicamp, exchanging bear hugs with teammates such as Nick Bosa but not practicing.
“Trent is a fantastic player. He’s a tremendous leader on this team,” 49ers general manager John Lynch said last week. “I will never fall short on my praise of Trent and what he’s meant to this place. It was a great day, when I got that call from (then-Washington coach Ron( Rivera saying that they would do that trade (in 2020). He’s been incredible since he’s been here.
“We value Trent, we love Trent, we want Trent here. And I’m hopeful that can happen soon.”
The 49ers ended their other contract stalemate last week when they signed wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to a four-year, $120 million extension.
Whereas Aiyuk reported to training camp on time July 23 and avoided fines, Williams’ absence resulted in over $4 million in fines that can not be waived or reduced, according to the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement regarding contracts that were signed in free agency.
Williams’ last contract came three years ago when he signed a six-year, $138.06 million deal that was the NFL’s highest for an offensive lineman. Since then, he’s earned All-Pro honors in three straight seasons, while five other offensive tackles have passed his annual-salary average.
Jaylon Moore has filled in for Williams as the 49ers’ first-string left tackle throughout the spring workouts, training camp and preseason. Moore is entering the fourth and final year of his rookie deal.
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On Monday, the 49ers re-signed Brandon Parker, their second-string right tackle throughout training camp. He took the 53-man roster spot that was vacated by wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, who was placed on Reserve/Non-Football Injury list as a result of Saturday’s gunshot wound to the chest from an attempted robber in San Francisco’s Union Square.
The 49ers created over $5 million in salary cap room by converting $6.79 million of defensive tackle Maliek Collins’ original $8 million salary into a signing bonus, according to spotrac.com. Collins, acquired from the Houston Texans in March for a seventh-round draft pick, excelled in training camp and the preseason as he joins a starting defensive front with Nick Bosa, Javon Hargrave and Leonard Floyd.
