Replacement tackle is acquired via trade

Williams had fallout with Washington

Goodbye, Pro Bowl left tackle.

Welcome, Pro Bowl left tackle.

On Saturday, the 49ers appear to have seamlessly replaced Joe Staley, 35, with Trent Williams, a 31yearold seventime Pro Bowl selection. Staley announced his retirement on social media about two hours after the 49ers acquired Williams in exchange for a fifthround pick and a 2021 thirdround selection.

Williams, the No. 4 pick in 2010, didn’t play in the NFL last season due to a dispute with Washington, but he could make an easy transition into the 49ers offense, even with offseason workouts canceled. He played for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan from 201013 when Shanahan was Washington’s offensive coordinator and, like Staley, has the athleticism to excel in the 49ers’ zoneblocking scheme.

“Skillset wise, Trent is similar to Joe,” Shanahan said.

Washington offensive tackle Trent Williams is a seventime Pro Bowl selection who had a dispute last season with the team. He was upset with medical treatment; the team called the dispute a contract holdout.

“They are two of the most athletic guys I’ve ever been around at that position.”

The 49ers inquired about Williams in October at the trade deadline when Staley was sidelined with a broken fibula. Washington’s asking price then was reportedly a firstround pick.

And the 49ers didn’t inquire about Williams this offseason until they learned Staley was retiring a few days before the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday.

On Monday, general manager John Lynch told reporters he was “encouraged” that Staley would play in 2020. But he said Saturday he subsequently reached out to Staley’s agent, Ryan Tollner, who said Staley was “struggling” with his decision. Lynch asked Tollner to have Staley to let the team know where he stood. Staley called Shanahan with the news.

“You could tell that he wanted to retire,” Shanahan said. “And it was very cool of Joe to be that honest with us before the draft because that allowed John and I to really think about it.”

Lynch said he placed his first trade call to Washington head coach Ron Rivera on Monday or Tuesday. Rivera also fielded calls with several other interested teams.

The 49ers could have taken Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs with the No. 13 pick Thursday, but traded back one spot with Tampa Bay, who selected Wirfs, and the 49ers took South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

“We couldn’t guarantee

it was going work with Washington, but John was as persistent as he could be with it,” Shanahan said.

Said Lynch: “To have everything line up: That (Williams) was available right then and for us to be able to land him — very fortuitous for us.”

On Saturday, after trading for Williams, the 49ers traded running back Matt Breida and wide receiver Marquise Goodwin in moves that created about $7 million in salary cap space.

The 49ers traded Breida, who was scheduled to earn $3.259 million, to the Dolphins for a fifthround pick. They dealt Goodwin, scheduled to earn $3.7 million in base salary, to the Eagles in a swap of sixthrounders. That won’t be money they use to negotiate an extension with Williams, at least not immediately. Williams is in the final year of a deal that will pay him a $12.5 million base salary, about $2 million more than Staley was

expected to earn.

Williams, given his age and season away from the NFL, could want to establish he’s still a Pro Bowl player in 2020, which will land him a richer longterm deal. It’s possible he could be a oneseason rental, which could explain why the 49ers acquired him for a reasonable price.

“Trent made it clear to everyone that he wants to come back and didn’t want to do (an extension) right away,” Shanahan said.”

Williams asked to be released or traded in June because, he said, he was upset about medical treatment he received from the team for a cancerous growth on his scalp. However, Washington maintained Williams was holding out for a new contract. Williams reported to the team during the season, but Washington put him on the nonfootball injury list to avoid paying him.

In the trade for Williams, the 49ers overcame a roadblock: Shanahan’s poor relationship with his former boss, Washington owner Daniel Snyder. Shanahan and his father, Mike, then Washington’s head coach, were fired in 2013 after four seasons. And Shanahan has made it clear he’s not a fan of Snyder.

Last year, he said the best part of his time in Washington was working with his dad and other coaches. And the worst part? “Everything else,” he said.

“I didn’t think we’d be able to pull it off,” Shanahan said. “I thought it was a pipe dream.”