All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams, for the first time in his illustrious Hall of Fame NFL career, is headed to the Super Bowl.
It took him 13 seasons to finally reach the biggest stage in professional sports, an opportunity his 49ers teammates know is special to him.
In speaking to reporters before practice on Thursday, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner was asked if he and the team know how much San Francisco's Super Bowl LVIII bout against the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb. 11 at Allegiant Stadium means to the 35-year-old Williams.
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"I think we all kind of sense how much this means to him," Warner said. "You can sense it in the way he speaks to the team, he always talks to the team right before we head out for the game. And just the emotion he plays with, the way that he plays and the emotion he showed after the game, after winning the NFC Championship, knowing he has an opportunity to go to a Super Bowl.
"It means a lot to him, just because at this point in your career, what, Year 14? Having done everything, all the Pro Bowls, All-Pros, all these sorts of things, you want to do something that is going to cement your legacy forever. Being able to win a Super Bowl is everything, so I know it means a lot to him."
Williams has played in 188 career games, including 10 in the playoffs with Washington and San Francisco, all of which will pale in comparison to what he will experience for the first time in less than two weeks from now. The 11-time Pro Bowl selection was at a loss for words after the 49ers' NFC Championship Game win over the Detroit Lions.
San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers acquired Williams in a trade with Washington before the 2020 NFL Season, just two-plus months after their heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV. While Williams was not part of that team, he almost certainly understands the weight of San Francisco's rematch with Kansas City four years later.
And now he will look to add a Super Bowl championship to his already prestigious résumé.