October 4, 2020; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) during the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
The Kansas City Chiefs have addressed their offensive line needs, but they almost landed Trent Williams.
The Chiefs made some major moves to better protect Patrick Mahomes via the offensive line, signing Joe Thuney to a massive multiyear contract, and signing Chris Long out of retirement. Both decision were greeted with enthusiasm from Mahomes, who could use a little more stability on his offensive line in order for the Chiefs to reach their full potential.
Arguably the top offensive lineman on the free agent market had been Trent Williams, who ended up re-signing with the San Francisco 49ers on a six-year, $138 million deal. Given his age (32), the deal is a risk by John Lynch and Co.
Yet, as it turns out, the Chiefs weren’t that far off from adding Williams themselves.
When the 49ers realized how close they were to losing one of the best offensive linemen in the game, they ponied up for Williams.
The Chiefs don’t need Trent Williams to compete in the trenches
Williams became the highest-paid offensive lineman in NFL history with his contract in San Francisco. Rather than spending that exorbitant amount of money on an offensive lineman, the Chiefs can continue to address other needs. Thankfully, cap flexibility isn’t an issue after they reworked the contracts of Mahomes, Travis Kelce and Frank Clark.
Mahomes, for one, has proven willing to meet Brett Veach halfway whenever the Chiefs are in a tight cap situation. This will only help keep Kansas City’s competitive window open for the long-term, as Mahomes is signed for the next decade-plus.