Alex Mack

San Francisco 49ers make much-needed offensive line additions

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The San Francisco 49ers have reached an agreement with left tackle Trent Williams on a six-year, $138 million contract.

The contract sees Williams return to the Bay where he excelled last season, resuming his role as one of the best left-tackles in the NFL after missing the entirety of the 2019 season due to a combination of a contract dispute with his former team Washington and health concerns.

The $138 million deal makes Williams the highest-paid lineman in NFL history.

Williams will receive $55.1 million in guarantees, with $30.1 million of that guarantee coming in a signing bonus. Despite the drawn-out and arduous process that was putting pen to paper, Williams always expressed a wish to remain in San Francisco. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was Williams’ offensive coordinator when he was drafted by the WFT in 2010.

Moreover, the healthy culture that general manager John Lynch and Shanahan have helped cultivate was a stark contrast to the chaos Williams experienced at his old club.

       

Shortly after the news of Williams’ signing, it was announced that the 49ers are expected to acquire former Atlanta Falcon, Alex Mack.

Mack, similar to Williams, has an established relationship with Shanahan, playing centre in both Cleveland and Atlanta where Shanahan was the offensive coordinator.

After undergoing some chopping and changing at the centre position last season, the 49ers and Shanahan in particular, are eager to obtain some consistent quality at the position.

Mack, who has started 94 out of his last 96 games and is also a six-time Pro Bowler and member of the 2010 all-decade team, is sure to bring both consistency and quality to the centre position in the Bay.

The 49ers struggled mightily to protect each of their three starting quarterbacks in pass protection last season.

       

It’s clear that both Shanahan and Lynch have identified this area and have done a tremendous amount to fix it.

Whoever will be starting behind centre for the 49ers in 2021, whether it is Jimmy Garoppolo, Deshaun Watson, Sam Darnold or a rookie, they’ll certainly appreciate having Trent Williams guarding their blindside and Alex Mack coordinating the entire line.

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