49ers’ larger-than-life Trent Williams has work to do to have it all

Oct 14, 2024

Niners left tackle Trent Williams celebrates after a 34-31 win over the Detroit Lions in the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday.

LAS VEGAS — Every member of the San Francisco 49ers except for one has a single locker.

The exception is Trent Williams. He has two locker stalls. And sprawl. The All-Pro left tackle’s area includes a shoe rack, a boom box, golf clubs and customized welcome mats. It’s roped off with a stanchion with retractable belts, giving it a nightclub VIP-section vibe.

Given the square footage, and its Silicon Valley location, the place might fetch $7,250 a month once the granite countertops and center island are installed.

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Asked about Williams’ locker situation, general manager John Lynch smiled.

“His block?” he asked.

Linebacker Fred Warner termed it “Trent’s little mall.” And tight end George Kittle explained why the setup befits the 35-year-old, 11-time Pro Bowl selection with a $138 million contract who owns multiple Ferraris, has traveled to training camp via a Gulfstream jet and is known as “Silverback,” a particularly large and beastly gorilla.

The nickname is on the nameplate above Williams’ second locker (“Silverback 71”) and was the title for the 2021 documentary that detailed his mid-career recovery from a rare and life-threatening form of skin cancer.

Trent Williams has two stalls in the 49ers’ locker room, one that includes his nickname on a nameplate.

“He’s larger than life,” Kittle said of the 6-foot-5, 320-pound Williams. “He has a silverback gorilla tatted on his back and it’s on his private jet. It’s Trent Williams.”

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And Trent Williams, like his locker expanse, is quite possibly unlike anything the NFL has ever seen.

On a loaded team that will meet the Chiefs on Sunday in Super Bowl LVIII and includes its share of All-Pros on Hall of Fame trajectories, Williams stands apart. You’ve heard of first-ballot Hall of Famers? Center Jake Brendel indicated Williams could be the first to inform Canton that he’s coming.

“I have no doubt,” Brendel said, “that he’ll be in the Hall of Fame whenever he wants to be in the Hall of Fame.”

Lynch, a Hall of Fame safety, acknowledged Williams is an exception to his rule of not crowning active players prematurely.

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“I’ve told you guys before: I don’t like talking about Hall of Fame stuff with players,” Lynch said. “He’s a guy I’m not shy about doing that with.”

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw put it this way: “He’s a different dude. I don’t think Trent stretches before he practices. … He’s first ballot, all the way.”

After 13 seasons and 178 games, Williams will finally play in his first Super Bowl on Sunday. And a title is the only accomplishment missing from his career resume.

Williams’ 11 Pro Bowl berths are tied for most among offensive tackles in NFL history, placing him with Hall of Famers Anthony Muñoz, Jonathan Odgen and Willie Roaf. And Williams might claim the record and put it out of reach given his stated desire to become the sixth offensive lineman since 1925 to play into his 40s.

Williams, who has earned first-team All-Pro honors the past three seasons, certainly isn’t slowing in his quest to reach another lofty individual goal. He didn’t hesitate Monday when asked during Super Bowl Opening Night how he wants to be remembered.

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“The best,” Williams said. “Not one of the best. The best.”

Niners left tackle Trent Williams, seen during a 27-14 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Nov. 19, is a surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer.

Williams’ living-legend status and personality explain why his teammates don’t begrudge him his multiple lockers, a perk Williams didn’t demand. If a governor gets a mansion, shouldn’t an elder statesman, the team’s most accomplished player, get some extra space?

“Trent can do damn near whatever he wants,” All-Pro cornerback Charvarius Ward said. “When you’re a Hall of Famer who’s (35) years old, and you’re still the best in the league at your position, you can get three or four or five lockers if you want them, I’m pretty sure.”

Williams, a two-time winner of the media’s good-guy award, is beloved locker-room figure who has been voted a team captain in each of his four seasons with the 49ers since he was acquired in a trade from Washington. Kittle said his VIP-style rope is “everything that is Trent Williams,” meaning it’s in keeping with his cars, diamonds and custom suits that explain why players from Ward to Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor have complimented his “swag” this week.

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However, unlike Barry Bonds’ famously elaborate multiple-locker setup, which was an isolated island that included a leather recliner and TV, Williams’ lockers are a hub of social activity. Among the regular visitors are defensive linemen, who gather for post-practice sessions in which Williams often offers pass-rushing tips from an offensive tackle’s perspective.

“Trent’s a favorite of these guys,” Lynch said, “because he is one of the guys.”

Williams is also a guy with a lot of stuff. His overflowing lockers include more than 40 hangers, most of which are attached to practice jerseys, opponent jerseys acquired from postgame swaps, team-issued sweatshirts and street clothes.

After a neighboring teammate was cut after training camp, team equipment director Jay Brunetti gave Williams his second locker so, as Williams put it, “I could have somewhere to overflow.” During the regular season, Brunetti made it official by affixing the “Silverback” nameplate. Williams briefly had a third locker during the season, which was mostly used by pass rusher Nick Bosa for storage.

Williams did add decorative touches. His welcome mats, for example, include the logo of his SBG (Silverback Gorilla) company. But he doesn’t take credit for the much discussed rope, which appeared in middle of the regular season.

“The rope was a surprise,” Williams said, smiling. “To this day, I have no clue who put it there. I actually got a text in the group chat from the O-linemen: They actually gave me a prima-donna fine for having my locker roped off.”

Brendel clarified: “We don’t fine. Trent was reprimanded accordingly for having three lockers, and a VIP section and a couple welcome rugs that are customized.”

Williams joked Monday about the grief he has received for his real estate. And he happily played along to standard media-night questions that included a query about which two teammates he would want with him on a deserted island.

However, his hourlong session with reporters turned serious when he was asked about his bout with cancer. In 2019, Williams was diagnosed with a rare from of soft tissue cancer, dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans. He had first noted a growth on his head in 2013 which gradually grew. Doctors feared it had spread to his brain when it was finally correctly diagnosed six years later.

Williams, who was convinced his NFL career was over, readied to fight for survival.

“When you’re thinking about life and death, football is just a game at that point,” said Williams, a father of four daughters. “It was tough not knowing if I would ever play again. But it was even tougher not knowing if I would see my kids get married.”

However, the cancer hadn’t fully metastasized through his skull, and surgeries that removed 30% of his scalp removed the cancer. He received skin grafts from his thigh and the reconstruction involved staples and several hundred stitches.

On Monday, Williams, who didn’t play in the NFL in 2019, shared how he felt guilty after his surgery when entering a cancer ward that included patients who were less fortunate.

The larger-than-life left tackle still doesn’t quite have it all. He still has work to do to win a title and to cement himself as the best to ever play his position.

But, damn, he’s already got a lot. And he knows just how fortunate he is if it’s all he’s granted.

“I’m blessed,” he said, “beyond measure.”

Reach Eric Branch: [email protected]; Twitter: @Eric_Branch