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San Francisco 49ers tackle Trent Williams has no intention of retiring after the 2023 campaign.
“Oh, yeah. 100 percent,” Williams said when asked if he intends to return for the 2024 season, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
He added that he is eyeing a Pro Bowl record as well: “I want to break the record for tackles. That’s a big thing for me.”
With his selection to the 2024 Pro Bowl Games in Orlando, Florida, Williams became the eighth offensive lineman in NFL history to earn 11 Pro Bowl selections. He is also just the fourth tackle to earn 11 Pro Bowl nods, joining Hall of Famers Anthony Muñoz, Jonathan Ogden and Willie Roaf.
With one more Pro Bowl selection, Williams will set the record for the most Pro Bowl nods by a tackle.
While the 35-year-old didn’t earn a Pro Bowl selection in his first two NFL seasons, he has made it in every season since.
Williams was selected fourth overall by Washington in 2010. He spent the first nine seasons of his career with the franchise before being traded to San Francisco ahead of the 2020 campaign.
In March 2021, Williams inked a six-year, $138.06 million extension with the 49ers. The deal made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history.
Williams is under contract through the 2026 season and he’ll be 38 at that point. After he signed his extension, he indicated that he has thought about continuing to play in the NFL until he’s 40.
“I think just going off of that and knowing the medicine now and the way the NFL takes care of their players now, I think yeah, I think playing until 40 is well within reach,” Williams told reporters at the time. “The way I feel right now, I do think I have six years in my body. But I’m not going to be unrealistic. I’m going to take it one day at a time and continue to plug away at it. But that is the goal. I have something to prove. Can I play at a high level until I’m 40? We’ll see.”
Williams has protected some of the best quarterbacks in the NFL over his 13-year career, including his current signal-caller in Brock Purdy.
While the Oklahoma product has 11 Pro Bowls and three first-team All-Pro nods to his name, he’s still searching for a Super Bowl title—perhaps that will come this year.
The 49ers open their 2024 playoff run on Saturday in an NFC Divisional round matchup against the Green Bay Packers. They’ll clinch a berth in the NFC Championship game for the third straight season with a win.
