As the clock ticked into the late hours of March 16, offensive tackle Trent Williams was growing more and more convinced that his first foray into free agency was going to lead him away from the San Francisco 49ers and to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Williams had long maintained that he wanted to stay in San Francisco with coach Kyle Shanahan, but momentum toward a new deal had stalled and the Chiefs were making what he called Tuesday a “good push.”
But Williams, who has known Shanahan since their time together in Washington in 2010, had told Shanahan before free agency started that he wouldn’t leave without giving Shanahan a final chance.
Williams’ message to Shanahan was actually sent by text, and the drift was simple: If something didn’t happen soon, he was on his way to Kansas City.
Shanahan immediately called Williams, who was walking into James Harden’s new restaurant, Thirteen, in Houston when Shanahan reached out. Williams stepped outside to speak to Shanahan and let him know that he was planning to make his decision by the time his dinner was over.
Before Williams got his keys from the valet little more than an hour later, Vincent Taylor, Williams’ agent, called with the news that Williams was staying in San Francisco on a record-setting six-year, $138 million deal with $55.1 million in guarantees.