Trent Williams, 49ers agree to two-year extension worth up to $50 million

The San Francisco 49ers will keep their star left tackle around for a little while longer. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones reports that the Niners and Williams agreed to an extension that will pay him up to $50 million over two years. Of that $50 million, $37 million is guaranteed, and $22 million is in the form of a signing bonus.

Williams was set to head into the final year of his contract with a $32.2 million base salary, but none of the money owed to him was guaranteed. The extension gets him those guarantees and keeps him under contract through the 2027 season, when he will be 39.

Because it's only a two-year contract, the total dollar value and total guarantee do not stack up with the other elite tackles, but the average annual value of the deal checks in eighth among all tackles, per Over the Cap, and the guarantee per year of $18.5 million ranks fourth behind only Laremy Tunsil, Lane Johnson and Jake Matthews.

With Williams now locked in for two more seasons, the 49ers could approach the upcoming NFL Draft somewhat differently than they might have otherwise. With speculation surrounding Williams' contract status, they recently became a popular destination for tackles in mock drafts. Four of the six mock drafts from CBS Sports' experts over the last week or so had the Niners taking a tackle in the first round, for example.

Williams is still obviously aging. So, a long-term answer at left tackle remains a need, but the Niners don't have to force a pick there out of concern that they might not have a starter for the upcoming season. They know who their starter is going to be, and they know he's an elite option. Now, they can be patient and use a mid-round pick on a developmental player, or they could even push it off to next year.