49ers rumors: Insider reveals $33 million Trent Williams ‘mistake’ among analysts

The San Francisco 49ers are looking for ways to improve after their tough playoff exit against the eventual Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks last month. The 49ers were impressive in their ability to weather injuries this past season, but the team still figures to be a few pieces away from legit championship contention.

Some have floated the idea of releasing veteran offensive lineman Trent Williams in an effort to relieve salary cap, an idea that has been met with NFL analysts claiming that the 49ers would only save a minimal amount of money in that event.

However, recently, David Lombardi of the SF Standard revealed why this is actually not the case.

“Biggest mistake I’m seeing repeatedly across Trent Williams takes: The amount of cap space the 49ers would save if released. Ironically, it’s not applicable to this situation since he almost certainly won’t be released, but it’s a common error across salary-cap analysis,” reported Lombardi on X, formerly Twitter, noting that the 49ers would save the full $33 million that Williams is scheduled to be paid, not just $4 million, as some have incorrectly reported.

“Since unused cap space carries over from season to season, it’s important to look at this way, instead of having tunnel vision on just how much 2026 space opens up,” he added.

However, of course, the 49ers likely will have no interest in releasing Williams, despite his age, because he remains one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL, and a stalwart of what Kyle Shanahan is trying to establish on the offensive side of the ball.

“Williams will stay because he’s very good and immensely valuable to the 49ers, not because SF’s cap savings would be minimal in the event of a release,” concluded Lombardi.

In any case, the NFL free agency period is set to open up on March 11, with the draft slated for late April in Pittsburgh.

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