Trent Williams dealt with hardships on and off the field during the 2024 NFL season, but the 49ers fully expect their star left tackle to be back on the gridiron in 2025.
"No, Trent's doing well," Lynch told reporters Wednesday when asked if he has any concerns about Williams playing next season. "He had a bruise in the ankle joint, and it probably took a little longer than anyone anticipated. But sometimes that happens, and the good news is it's taken a positive turn.
"Trent's mindset is where it always is, and he's still very interested in being a great player that he is. And I think he's still got a lot left in the tank. So Trent's committed as ever, and we love having Trent Williams [as] a part of us."
Williams, 36, suited up for 10 games in 2024 -- his 14th NFL season -- as he dealt with an ankle injury. The offensive lineman was a game-time decision for San Francisco's Week 11 game against the Seattle Seahawks, then missed five consecutive games before being placed on injured reserve for the final two contests of the season.
During that span, the 49ers went 1-6 without Williams, compared to 5-5 when he was on the field.
Outside of football, Williams and his wife, Sondra, dealt with the loss of their stillborn son at 35 weeks in late November. Sondra shared that Trenton O'Brien Williams Jr. was diagnosed with Trisomy 13, a rare and life-threatening genetic condition that occurs when a person has an extra copy of chromosome 13, and that Trenton's twin sister had died earlier in the pregnancy.
Williams took time away from the team to be with his family after the tragedy.
San Francisco 49ers
“Whatever you go through, the good or the bad, we go through it together," coach Kyle Shanahan said at the time. "I do like that they have this, they have a group of guys they can go to, a group of guys that could see them every day. And you can't ever escape that full grief, but I do think it's nice for those guys to have another avenue to get out on the football field, to get around teammates and things like that."
The 49ers fully expect a healthy Williams to take full advantage of that avenue next season, despite whispers of a potential retirement in years past. Those rumors were quelled this offseason when Williams signed a three-year, $82.66 million reworked contract that keeps him with the team through 2026, telling reporters that same day he wants to play until he's 40.
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And now, after such a turbulent season, Williams and San Francisco both will look for a bounce-back campaign in 2025.
