Kyle Shanahan's stance on Trent Williams contrasts recent reports about 49ers negotiations

As the San Francisco 49ers prepare for their second preseason game with the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, two unresolved contract sagas continue to command significantly more attention than anything the team is doing on the practice field.

Brandon Aiyuk's ongoing impasse, which could end with either an extension or a trade to the Pittsburgh Steelers, has dominated the headlines, but the holdout of All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams arguably represents a more troubling situation.

Williams, the 11-time Pro Bowler, is holding out in search of more guaranteed money. There is no guaranteed money left on the final three years of the six-year, $138,060,000 he signed in 2021.

This week, The Athletic's Dianna Russini (h/t Bleacher Report ) reported the 49ers haven't made "significant movement" in talks with the man most would consider their most important offensive player outside of quarterback Brock Purdy.

But Kyle Shanahan's comments on Friday painted a much more hopeful picture of negotiations than that report.

“We’re having a lot of discussions with his agent,” Shanahan told KNBR.

"Trent’s not here right now, obviously not at camp. I believe he’s in Houston, but I’m not sure. But we’re talking with his agent a lot, and hopefully, we can figure it out. As I’ve said the whole time, I am optimistic we will, but, of course, the sooner, the better.”

His sentiments were echoed by general manager John Lynch.

"Trent's been away from us, but again, the communication has been good there," Lynch told KNBR.

"Hopefully, we can work through things and get Trent back here. Trent's played for a long time, such a fantastic player and a big part of our team. He's a special player. So we're working hard on that as well, and hopefully, Trent's back here soon enough to get back out here with the guys.

"I know he wants to. I know we want that. Hopefully, we've got good news on both fronts [Williams and Aiyuk] in the near future."

The 49ers have been embroiled in long and arduous negotiations with Aiyuk that clearly reached a point where things became very strained . Shanahan and Lynch's words suggest talks with Williams' representatives remain cordial. San Francisco will hope that consistent and seemingly amicable communication will eventually yield fruit in getting a future Hall of Famer back in the building.

Related: Deommodore Lenoir reveals his Super Bowl request that the 49ers were in no position to grant