Trent Williams cannot be franchise tagged after this season

Per Field Yates, as part of San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams’s reworked contract, he cannot be franchise tagged after this season. If the Niners were to franchise Williams, the 2020 franchise tag was set at $14.7 million for offensive linemen, so let’s call it $15 million in 2021 for argument’s sake.

Nobody expected the team to franchise Williams after this season. You’d think with a year to work out a contract extension; the 49ers would have ample time to decide if they want to work with Williams long-term or not. Add in how San Francisco likes to write team-friendly contracts that allow them to get out of a deal a couple of years early and a one-year deal where the team is locked into a one-year deal for a 33-year-old left tackle, and that doesn’t sound like the Niner philosophy.

Yates said the eventual goal for both sides remains a long-term deal for the 7-time Pro Bowler, and that makes much more sense. The 49ers can structure a three or four-year deal under their conditions, and that’ll be dependent on how and how much Williams plays in 2020. Knowing what Williams is capable of on the field, I’d love for him to remain in the Bay Area for the remainder of his career.