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PHOENIX — It’s most definitely not football weather. Temperatures are soaring near 100 degrees as NFL owners, executives, and coaches — many with families in tow — check into the Arizona Biltmore for the league’s spring meeting.
One of the busiest men on property is 49ers’ general manager John Lynch, who serves on the NFL’s competition committee and has a full schedule over the next three days.
But Lynch did squeeze in a 23-minute conference room session with Bay Area media on Sunday morning — and it was packed with plenty of 49ers-related information.
A new deal for Trent Williams could arrive soon
Earlier this month, when the 49ers declined to pick up Trent Williams’ $10 million option bonus and instead allowed it to absorb into the star left tackle’s base salary for 2026, there was a sense that the two sides were on track toward a new deal.
Lynch went a step further on Sunday.
“We’ve had a good communication throughout,” he said. “I would say in the last week, it’s intensified. I feel like we’re on the precipice of something good happening.”
Williams’ 2026 salary-cap hit ballooned to $46.3 million when they declined the option — a number that essentially makes every potential solution outside of a contract extension unfeasible. The 49ers don’t want Williams to play at that number — it’d restrict their in-season cap maneuverability — and very few teams would be able to absorb $46.3 million onto their books via trade.
So now it’s up to the 49ers and Williams, who’ll be 38 in July, to finalize a pact that grants the lineman more guaranteed money and the team a longer range of contractual control.
“There’s a lot of nuance to that situation,” Lynch said. “He’s one of the great players to ever play the game. But there’s a reality with his age. So how do you thread that needle? How do you make sure everyone’s taken care of?”
Two offseasons ago, the 49ers awarded Williams $48 million guaranteed for two more years — a number which equated to the top-five average salaries at the position. Williams has said he wants to play until he’s 40, so expect a similar deal this time.
Trent Williams took over as the 49ers’ starting left tackle in 2020. | Source: John Froschauer/Associated PressMore work on the O-line
At last month’s NFL combine, Lynch identified the left guard spot as a definite area of offseason focus. The 49ers then signed Brett Toth and Robert Jones in free agency, but on Sunday, Lynch emphasized that the position is nowhere close to settled.
“I don’t think we’re done there yet,” he said flatly.
There’s next month’s NFL Draft, of course. But the 49ers might also still be lurking in free agency, where veteran stalwart Joel Bitonio will be available if he chooses not to retire. Bitonio, 34, began his career with the Cleveland Browns in 2014 — the year 49ers’ coach Kyle Shanahan was the offensive coordinator there.
Lynch said the 49ers remain hopeful that Connor Colby can continue to develop and make a strong push in the left guard competition. For now, it’s between Colby, Jones, and Nick Zakelj — with Lynch saying that Toth might actually be best suited to back up Jake Brendel at center.
“That’s probably his best spot,” Lynch said, “but I think he can fit in at that competition at left guard as well.”
Progress for four returning players
Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, who both tore ACLs to end their 2025 seasons, should be ready for training camp. Lynch acknowledged that Williams, who suffered his injury six weeks after Bosa, might face a slightly longer timeline — but recovery for the defensive linemen is going well.
In more remarkable news, Lynch said the 49ers are hopeful that tight end George Kittle can return in time for the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia. That would be just about nine months after Kittle tore his Achilles in the playoffs against Philadelphia.
Kittle, for what it’s worth, golfed without a boot in recent days.
Lynch also shared a positive update on second-year 49ers linebacker Nick Martin, who spent the final weeks of last season in the concussion protocol. Doctors cleared Martin to return shortly after the season ended, so he should be a key factor in a 49ers’ linebacker room where projected starters Dre Greenlaw and Dee Winters are only under contract through 2026.
When Bosa and Williams return, they’ll be paired with a new difference-maker up front. That’s defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, whom the 49ers acquired in a March trade from the Dallas Cowboys.
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“We made some plays in free agency to try to acquire some different people and we thought we had it, but it didn’t happen,” Lynch said, likely referring to defensive tackle John Franklin-Myers — who instead signed with the Tennessee Titans. “So we had to try some different avenues.
“… Osa is a young, ascending player who we’ve long held in regard. We needed that three-technique to come in and disrupt. Osa gives us that.”
Put the substation — but not the report card — to rest
Did viral conspiracy theories regarding the substation adjacent to Levi’s Stadium hurt the 49ers in free agency?
Short answer: no.
The proof is in the free agency pudding: The 49ers managed to sign a bevy of veterans at bargain rates — including accomplished receivers Mike Evans and Christian Kirk, who both had larger offers from other teams. No one expressed any worry that the proximity of the substation would increase risk of injury.
“Nobody asked about [the substation],” Lynch said, acknowledging that he was surprised by this. “And I was prepared.”
The 49ers hired an independent scientist to measure electromagnetic impact in all corners of the team facility.
“It basically was a nothing burger,” Lynch said. “We’re safe. We’re in a safe place of work. Our levels are 400 times less than unsafe zones.”
The 49ers have, however, taken poor grades for their training facilities and staff from the NFLPA’s annual report card seriously. The 49ers scored 21st and 25th, respectively, of 32 teams in those categories.
Lynch said this led to a $9 million expansion of the team’s training areas — including those around the cold and hot tubs and the pool, which veterans like Christian McCaffrey frequent — and the hiring of three new physical therapists.
“It’s going to be a huge addition,” Lynch. “I think the modern-day athlete wants more one-on-one attention. When we dug deeper in surveys, I think it was not enough personnel. Now, we’ll be up at the top of the league.
“We’re dedicating the resources to where we feel like we can be better. And I think it’ll be noticed and felt.”
Plans moving forward
Jauan Jennings’ run with the 49ers is almost certainly over. Lynch wished the wide receiver, who has essentially been replaced by Evans and Kirk, well at his next stop. Jennings remains unsigned.
The 49ers, though, will likely continue to add receivers. Lynch said “I don’t know about [drafting one] early,” but he isn’t blind to roster realities: Discounting Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers have only one wideout — Ricky Pearsall — who’s scored a touchdown in their uniform under contract beyond 2026.
“At that position, the way the price tag has gone on those guys, it’s probably healthy business to try to add them as much as you can in these drafts,” Lynch said before reaffirming how happy he was to sign Evans and Kirk.
“To have two grown men in that room, that’s exciting,” Lynch said.
Also, keep in mind that three top-30 visits for receivers to the 49ers’ building— for Texas A&M’s KC Concepcion, Indiana’s Omar Cooper Jr., and Washington’s Denzel Boston — have already been confirmed. All three of those players have a chance to be picked in the first round, so Lynch’s comment doesn’t necessarily disqualify an early selection at the position.
Lynch also asserted that the 49ers will continue to add D-linemen, although he acknowledged that Joey Bosa, Nick’s brother, might not fit into the team’s salary-cap structure.
“I know that would make Mama Bosa happy,” Lynch said with a chuckle, “but I don’t know if we can afford him.”