Brock Purdy and San Francisco 49ers blow before NFL season met with rough reception

While the San Francisco 49ers fans could breathe a sigh of relief after signing Brandon Aiyuk to an extension , the same cannot be said for left tackle Trent Williams who remains away from the team.

Aiyuk and Williams have both been away from the team and had not practiced throughout the summer, with the former finally ending that holdout after signing a four-year, $120 million extension to remain with the Niners. However, Williams is still yet to report to the team just one week away from the season getting underway.

Williams, 36, arguably the best offensive line in the NFL and one of the greatest at his position of all-time, is in an intriguing situation with his contract. The left tackle still has three years left on his contract and is not looking to be extended, but instead having his salary increased due to outplaying his current deal putting together consistently dominant season.

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While the Niners cannot afford to lose Williams, the anchor of their offensive line in protecting quarterback Brock Purdy and creating space for Christian McCaffrey, they may now struggled to pay him after signing Aiyuk to his substantial contract.

Niners fans universally want to see the team work a deal with Williams to bring him back as soon as they can, but many have now begun criticizing their offensive captain for his actions.

One fan had written: "Play out your contract. I wish the NFL would make a rule that contract extensions can only happen in the final year of the contract."

Another said: "I never understood why there are so many players that want to be "The Highest paid at their position". Is it for some sort of bragging rights? I'm not saying he's not worth it, but I do wish he was still in Washington, but the previous owner sure screwed that up."

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While a third wrote: "He really should be playing for the contract he just negotiated a couple years ago. Have them change it to guaranteed money and be done with it."

The 49ers has gone just 3-6 in games without Williams since acquiring him from the Washington Commanders in 2020, while ranking as the top left tackle in the league in five straight years by numerous advanced metrics.

As previously mentioned, Williams still has three years on his deal at $20.05 million this year, $22.5 million next year, and $32.1 million in 2026.