Faithful Flashbacks #57: Trading for Trent Williams

Faithful Flashbacks revisits how the 49ers’ trade for Trent Williams turned a major need into one of the era’s best moves.

BY BRENDEN NUNES

Jun 18, 2026, 5:00 AM

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In honor of the San Francisco 49ers celebrating their 80th anniversary, Sactown Sports is kicking off a countdown of the 80 greatest moments in the franchise’s illustrious history in reverse order called “Faithful Flashbacks.”

From Super Bowl-winning plays to overperforming teams that had minimal expectations, there’s plenty to choose from the team with five titles under its belt.

The voting was conducted by a handful of the Sactown Sports’ staffers before results were compiled into a full list that will count down to the 49ers’ 2026 NFL regular season debut against the Rams in Melbourne, Australia, on September 10th.

Faithful Flashbacks -- San Francisco 49ers 80 Best Moments

The 49ers entered the final day of the 2020 NBA Draft still in need of a replacement for one of their most dependable players in franchise history.

Joe Staley was retiring after 13 seasons in San Francisco, leaving a major opening at left tackle for a team coming off a Super Bowl appearance. Rather than drafting a rookie and expecting them to step into that role, general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan added a proven talent.

San Francisco made a deal with Washington to acquire Trent Williams in exchange for a fifth-round pick in 2020 and a third-rounder the following season.

Williams was already an established player at defending a quarterback’s blindside, to say the least. Washington selected him fourth overall back in 2010, and he tallied seven consecutive Pro Bowl appearances from 2012 to 2018. Shanahan had previously been on the Washington staff, leaving a preexisting relationship between the two.

While that makes it sound like the 49ers got a steal, the move was not without questions, as Williams did not play any games the year prior due to a fractured relationship with the team that led to him holding out. It partially had to do with how Washington had handled a growth on his head, which was later diagnosed as cancerous and then surgically removed. For the tackle, it was clearly time for a fresh start.

But it didn’t take long for him to prove that he was still one of the best at his position, even by that point in his career. Williams made the Pro Bowl in his first season with San Francisco before re-signing on a six-year deal worth more than $138-million.

He continued to earn Pro Bowl honors through 2023 and became one of the centerpieces of a dangerous offense that regularly made deep postseason runs. He stepped into the void left by Staley’s retirement smoothly and still remains in that role heading into the 2026 season.

Considering the cost of two non-first-round picks, the 49ers’ trade for Trent Williams came in at No. 57 on our ‘Faithful Flashbacks’ countdown of the 80 best moments in San Francisco’s franchise history.

Upcoming San Francisco 49ers Schedule

June 9-10, 2026 – Mandatory Minicamps
Late July 2026 – NFL Training Camps open
Thursday, September 10th – vs. Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia (Season Opener) – 5:35 pm PT
Sunday, September 20th – vs. Miami Dolphins – 1:25 pm PT
Sunday, September 27th – vs. Arizona Cardinals – 1:05 pm PT
Sunday, October 4th – vs. Denver Broncos – 1:25 pm PT