Trent Williams, entering his 17th NFL season with the 49ers, said he thinks the 2027 campaign will “probably” be his last—calling the idea “scary” as he weighs competitiveness against time with family.
Trent Williams is heading into a familiar place on a different timeline: another season in a 49ers uniform, another year of elite work, and now a looming date on the calendar that he can’t stop thinking about.
This offseason, Williams signed a two-year, $50 million contract, with $37 million fully guaranteed. The 49ers left tackle turns 38 next month, and in a team video message he said he believes the 2027 season will “probably” be his final one. He didn’t dress it up. He called the thought “scary.”
“I’m toying between the idea of going until I can’t no more and just leaving while I’ve still got some good product left and I get ran out of the league,” Williams said, speaking in the video from the team.
His reasoning is personal, and he tied it directly to what fatherhood has taken from him and what he wants back. Williams said his daughter was born three months before he was drafted, and that means he’s now preparing for his 17th year while she turns 17.
“As a father, you feel like I’ve kind of felt like I missed her whole life,” Williams said.
Williams still wants to compete—he made that clear even as he acknowledged he’s weighing the future. He said he wants more time with his family, but he also knows his competitiveness might decide things after the 2027 season if he’s still performing at a Pro Bowl level.
“There’s little stuff I’ve got to think about,” Williams said. “Obviously, I can’t tell the future. I don’t know. I’m still a competitor. It’s hard not to compete when you can, so we’ll see.”
He’s not coming off a fade. Williams made his 12th Pro Bowl in 2025 and earned second-team All-Pro honors, evidence that whatever questions he has about what comes next, his play hasn’t slipped from the standard he’s set for years.
Trent Williams 49ers NFL 2027 season Pro Bowl All-Pro contract left tackle
So 2027 is when he’s retiring? I feel like guys say that every year lol.
Two years 50 million for 38 years old is wild. Also “scary” like he thinks he’s gonna get hurt?? Idk man football is scary period.
Wait… so his daughter turns 17 in 2027? That means he missed her whole life? I mean he was literally playing pro football not like he was gone all the time. Still, good for him I guess.
I don’t trust “probably my last” comments, like teams don’t say that to get leverage or whatever. 49ers always have some plan, and Trent was a menace so if he really wants family time he should just dip now not wait til 2027. But then again if he’s still Pro Bowl level you can’t blame him. The contract stuff makes it confusing though… like 37 million guaranteed so why even worry? Maybe cuz the pain catches up? idk.