The legendary offensive tackle spoke how the shocking shooting of the 49ers rookie receiver impacted his own contract holdout situation
After ending his contract holdout and signing a new deal with the San Francisco 49ers, star offensive lineman Trent Williams has stated that the shooting of rookie wide receiver Ricky Pearsall helped expedite his decision.
Pearsall, who was ready to make his NFL debut on Monday Night against the New York Jets, was shot in the chest Saturday amidst an attempted robbery. He was released from the hospital on Sunday after some scary moments, but the whole experience seems to have had a real impact on the veteran Williams, perhaps providing him with some perspective.
Of course, Pearsall is a rookie and Williams has been holding out this offseason, so the two have barely crossed paths, but Williams still noted that during his brief visit to the team facility, Pearsall made an effort to introduce himself. Williams came away from the interaction feeling that Pearsall was a "genuine person," and connected with him as a teammate right away.
Williams ended up signing a three-year $82.66 million deal with the 49ers, which will take him through the 2026 season -- his age-38 campaign. While that may seem like a hefty sum for a player of Williams's age, he's no ordinary player.
He's currently in the midst of a delayed prime of sorts; while Williams has made 11 Pro Bowls, all three of his first-team All-Pro nods have come consecutively in the past three seasons, with his only other All-Pro selection being a second-team honor in 2015.
Williams's comments speak volumes to Pearsall's character and the tight 49ers culture, showing the impact of the legendary lineman's connection with his teammates. In his comments, he stated that after he heard the news, he just wanted "to get back...and be there for the team." Perhaps the 49ers will rally around Pearsall and be inspired make a push for another special season after coming up just short once again in Super Bowl 58 -- Williams's comments surely imply that there could be a ripple effect of sorts.
After a great career at Arizona State and the University of Florida, Pearsall was a somewhat-surprising first round pick by the 49ers this past spring. Williams isn't the only person he's impressed -- voices in and outside of the 49ers facility have sung his praises, and before the shooting, he was expected to get off to a great start to his first NFL season.
The good news is that Pearsall is making "remarkable" recovery progress. He's already been back to the 49ers team facility, and while the team has stated a minimum of four weeks of recovery time, there is an expectation that he will make a full recovery in time to contribute to the San Francisco offense before the end of his rookie season.
