49ers LT Trent Williams Says He Will ‘For Sure’ Be Back For 2023 Season

49ers LT Trent Williams recently admitted that playing at his age is “pretty grueling” and he played to take some time this offseason to contemplate his future. 

“It’s a long season,” Williams said, via Eric Branch of the SF Chronicle. “And having two long seasons back-to-back, it does get pretty grueling for a 34-year-old guy like myself. I’ll be 35 when the (2023) season starts. You do kind of think about what’s life like after football. I’ve done this every year of my life since the second grade. You do get to that age, especially at the end the year like this, as exhausting as it was. And still not getting quite where you want to be. I get it. You get to that age, But, honestly, I’m just taking it one day at time and we’ll see how that goes going forward.”

Williams added that it’s difficult to get as excited for regular season games when compared to earlier in his career. 

“I’d be lying to say it didn’t,” said Williams. “Yeah, it does. It isn’t hard to get up for the NFC Championship (Game), or playoffs or anything like that. But, yeah, the day-to-day grind does get pretty redundant (after) doing it for a long time. But I’m blessed. I’m blessed to have played this game for as long as I have. And whatever God has in the future for me, I know I’ll have it. But to answer your question, yeah, it does get a little like a rerun almost.”

However, Williams made it clear on Saturday that he will “for sure” be back with the 49ers for the 2023 season. 

“Yeah, for sure,” Williams said when asked if he was definitely coming back, via NFL.com. “Next year, the year after. I’m under contract until I’m 39 [years old].”

As for his recent comments, Williams joked: “I think I didn’t understand the question.”

Williams, 34, is a former first-round pick of Washington back in 2010. He played out the final year of his five-year, $66 million contract that included $43.25 million guaranteed and made a base salary of $12.5 million for the 2020 season. 

The 49ers later traded for Williams and signed him to a new contract. Williams stands to make base salaries of $19.4 million and $20.05 million over the next two years.

In 2022, Williams appeared in and started 14 games for the 49ers at left tackle.