Williams misses another 49ers preseason game amid contract holdout

Williams misses another 49ers preseason game amid contract holdout originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SANTA CLARA — All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams remains on the reserve/did not report list for the 49ers’ second preseason game of the summer.

And his fine money continues to pile up.

Williams’ total fines have reached more than $3 million due to his contract holdout this summer.

Coach Kyle Shanahan recently expressed optimism that Williams will rejoin the team before too long.

“I think we have to work out a contract thing and I think Trent, I haven’t spoken to him, but I think we’ll be able to work that out,” Shanahan said on Friday.

Per the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement, Williams is subject to a mandatory fine of $50,000 per day. In addition, any unexcused absence from a preseason game results in a fine of one week’s base salary.

With Williams’ scheduled base salary of $20.05 million, that amounts to a $1.1 million fine each time he misses a preseason game.

The 49ers’ preseason game Sunday evening against the New Orleans Saints is the second of the team’s three exhibition games.

The CBA explicitly states that fines for players no longer on their first contracts cannot be rescinded.

“For the avoidance of doubt,” reads Article 42, Section 1 (vi), “any such fines shall be mandatory, and shall not be reduced in amount or waived by the Club, in whole or in part. . . “

Williams, 36, is an 11-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro choice. He signed a six-year, $138.06 million contract in 2021 that made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in football.

Three years later, Williams’ average per year of $23.01 million ranks sixth among offensive linemen. He has no guaranteed money remaining on his contract.

Williams could be seeking a new deal that converts a large percentage of his non-guaranteed money into full guarantees.

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