Dieter Kurtenbach: Trent Williams isn't being weird about retirement; you shouldn't be, either

Dieter Kurtenbach, Bay Area News Group on Jun 6, 2026

Published in Football

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SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Trent Williams isn’t being weird about retirement, so why should you?

He knows the end is near, and, deep down, you know the end is near, too. The San Francisco 49ers certainly know it.

We’re operating from a place of honesty these days. Let’s stop projecting insecurities or trying to re-write the rulebook.

It’s professional football, not a magical fairy tale where everyone gets to play until they’re 65 and then collect a cushy pension.

The soon-to-be-38-year-old tackle, who has always been forthright and honest and open in his dealings with the media — a perk of greatness that too few take — didn’t do any pretending about his present or his future on Wednesday.

He looked at the unwashed media masses and told the unvarnished truth.

“It’s scary,” Williams admitted when asked about the end. “I’m toying between the idea of going until I can’t no more, and just leaving while I still got some good product left.”

But it sure sounds like he wants to walk away on his own two feet. He has zero interest in, as he put it, “getting ran out the league.”

Wouldn’t you be thinking about the end, too, if you had just been in a contract negotiation where the Niners made no bones about it: this is our last go with you.

The Niners looked at their cap sheet, checked the calendar, and communicated the obvious.

You can’t blame the Niners for that take. They had no interest in another protracted contract negotiation with Williams.

And it sounds like Williams took the take in kind.

Two more years, two more shots at a title (even if they’re feeling like long shots right now). Out before just before he turns 40.

So why is it weird that Williams — who functionally retired at age 31 amid a battle with Washington — would want to see what the other side is like?

In the words of Danny Glover, he’s getting too old for this… stuff.

Two things Williams has always understood: his own leverage in contract negotiations (aka his greatness) and his own mortality. He learned the last one the hard way — fighting cancer.

He doesn’t need to prove anything else. He’s still here because of his love of the game.

Also, the pay is still pretty awesome.

But will he still love it — or be paid the biggest bucks — if he’s out there getting worked, week after week?

He’d rather park the truck himself before the axles snap and he’s stranded on the shoulder of the highway.

The truth is that Williams is still great, even if he’s taken a step back in recent years because of injury (shocker, an older player is getting injured more).

But he still has a long way to fall to even be average. His 80% is still miles better than almost anyone else’s absolute maximum.

So while the prospect of playing Myles Garrett twice a season might not be fun, he’s going to face the music.

“Yeah, I mean, it sucks,” Williams deadpanned when asked about the defensive wrecker joining the rival Rams.

But it’s preposterous to question the man’s commitment to the Niners or the game. He isn’t out here phoning it in.

And, most importantly, he’s not a jerk. (I could use a worse term, but I won’t).

Which is to say that he doesn’t think he’s going to live forever and that anything he does will be met with no consequences.

He fully grasps what playing in the trenches does to a human body, even when you’re the king.

He’s a nearly-40 man with kids, a full understanding that there’s not some other $20 million-a-year job lined up after this, and pride.

His eldest daughter is approaching college age, and he’s not eager to miss those milestones.

“I want to be there and be accessible,” Williams said. “I don’t want to be somewhere at a joint practice when it’s time for her to move into school.”

But that’s down the road. In the meantime, he’s in it to win it. He has been since he arrived in Santa Clara. Don’t expect that to change.

Can you blame someone for not wanting to stay in this grind at the detriment of his family, his team, or his legacy?

He was just being real. That should be celebrated, not bemoaned.

All this weirdness that I saw in the aftermath of his presser? Sure seems like projection from Niners fans who have spent the last five years bemoaning the Niners’ “failure” to find an heir apparent for the future Hall of Famer.

As if you could find someone — in the league or in the draft — who could replace Williams.

We constantly beg athletes for the truth. Then, when they finally give it to us, it seems as if some respond with panic and a request to lie to them again.

Williams told you exactly who he is, where he’s at, and where he’s going.

Believe him. And enjoy the final act.