After the San Francisco 49ers fell just short of a Super Bowl LVII appearance, it didn’t take long for veteran offensive tackle Trent Williams to contemplate his remaining future in the NFL.
It also didn’t take long for the 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan to push back the retirement rumors that surfaced after Williams’ conversation with Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tuesday.
“I didn’t read his words because it’s a big thing for him,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone.com. Shanahan said he knows Trent Williams loves football and that “I know it’s very difficult at his age, in any situation, to do what you do for that long and fail. . . I would be really surprised if Trent wasn’t excited in a few weeks.
Obviously, Shanahan’s words carry a lot of weight, but so does what Williams said in the media earlier this week. In discussing his future, Williams didn’t hold back, as he allowed the possibility of retirement to be a topic of conversation, even though he’s clearly still in his prime.
“It’s been a long season,” Williams said via Branch. “And after two long seasons in a row, it’s getting pretty grueling for a 34-year-old guy like me. I will be 35 at the start of the 2023 season. You kind of think about what life is like after football. I’ve done this every year of my life since second grade.
“You get to that age, especially at the end of a year like this, exhausting as it is. And still not quite where you want to be. I understand. You come to that age. But, honestly, I only take it one day at a time, and we’ll see how it goes.
Williams still has time to make her decision. While Shanahan said he’s confident he’ll be back in 2023, retirement shouldn’t be ruled out just yet.
[49ers Webzone, San Francisco Chronicle]