Photo by Tracy A Woodward/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Before the 49ers re-signed Trent Williams to what is, on paper, the largest deal for an offensive lineman in NFL history, Williams was down in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. There, he met up with a familiar face he hadn’t seen in more than a year: Mike Shanahan.
Williams credited his relationship with Kyle Shanahan as one of the main reason he’s with the 49ers. On Papa and Lund on Thursday, Williams dove deeper into his relationship with Mike Shanahan, the man who drafted him, who he credited for much of his growth in his career.
“My relationship with Mike, it had nothing to do with free agency, nothing to do with signing with the 49ers,” Williams said. “I have a ton of respect for Mike because he changed my life. And I’m not just saying he changed my life because he drafted me and gave me a lot of money.
He changed my life from the perspective of what I expected of myself and what he expected from me. He made me grow up quick. He held my foot to the fire. Every day at work, he challenged me every day at practice.
When I was young, I ain’t gonna say I didn’t agree with it, but it kind of rubbed me the wrong way a lot of days. But the older I got, the more I understood, this is the only reason why I would be successful in this league is me learning how to be a professional. And he taught me how to be a professional without telling me, ‘Hey, I’m going to teach you how to be a professional.’”
Because of COVID-19 protocols, Williams said he wasn’t able to see Mike Shanahan this year. But about 24 hours before free agency, Williams and Mike Shanahan met up in Cabo to talk about everything not related to his free agency.
“He’s family to me,” Williams said. “We didn’t really talk about free agency or nothing, we just caught up. It had been a long time.”
Listen to the full conversation below: