The looming 49ers offseason question finally was answered Wednesday when reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa agreed to a five-year, $170 million contract extension, ending his 44-day holdout.
The 49ers' locker room was as close to a Super Bowl-type celebration as they can get before a regular-season game has been played, and it’s safe to say Trent Williams is ready to have his guy back.
"Well obviously it's a bigger contract,” Williams told reporters Wednesday. “It takes a little more negotiating so it took a little longer but I mean the goal is the goal. We got him signed. You know he'll be back in the locker room.
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“We can't wait to welcome him with open arms. Arms might have to be a little wider cause he got bigger pockets now but you know, we're definitely going to welcome him back with open arms."
Williams’ 34 1/4-inch arm length might not quite be enough for Bosa and his new $34 million-per-season salary, but the two together give the 49ers a big confidence boost as they roll into the regular season Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The expectations for Bosa and the 49ers are even higher this season, even with his first career DPOY under his belt.
"You ask him, I guarantee he probably would say what he did last year wasn't enough,” Williams said. “I guarantee he'd say he left a few sacks out there on the field and I guarantee you his main focus is to take everything off the plate, not leave a crumb. And for us, we see what he does and obviously, he's Defensive Player of the Year so there's not much to nitpick about.
San Francisco 49ers
“But Nick being the guy he is and being to how he got this good is not because he rests on his laurels, it's because he's always his worst critic and continues to care about getting better and being that he's 25 only makes it scarier for guys."
Williams, Bosa and Co. finally are all together, and they look to take everything the plate has to offer this time around.