The San Francisco 49ers are looking strong as they head into Week 1.

As their first game of the season against the New York Jets on “Monday Night Football” nears, the defending NFC champions finalized a contract extension on Tuesday with All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, as reported by his agency, Elite Loyalty Sports. The new three-year contract worth $82.66 million guarantees $48 million and includes a signing bonus of $25.69 million.

Williams, who was once the highest-paid offensive lineman in the league and is recognized as the top left tackle, fell to sixth place in average annual salary ($23 million) over the past year. He sat out training camp while pursuing a new contract after tackles Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell, and Christian Darrisaw surpassed him in earnings during the offseason. Currently, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Wirfs leads with $28.1 million per year after signing a five-year extension valued at $140.6 million.

The 49ers had various priorities recently but finally came to terms with wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk last Thursday, bringing his “hold-in” to a close.

Williams is now ready to return just days before the Niners start their campaign to tie a record for a sixth Super Bowl. His involvement is crucial for the team’s performance—San Francisco faced four of its five regular-season losses in 2023 when Williams was either sidelined (twice) or did not play at least half the snaps.

An 11-time Pro Bowler who was selected in the first round by Washington in 2010, Williams was recently voted as the seventh-best player in the league by his fellow players in an annual NFL Network poll, marking the highest ranking ever for an offensive lineman.

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