The San Francisco 49ers haven’t matched the success they had at the start of the decade, but their offensive line still has an argument as the best duo at one position group in the entire NFL. Left tackle Trent Williams and right tackle Colton McKivitz were ranked the No. 1 tackle duo in the NFL heading into the 2026 season, according to Sports Illustrated NFL analyst Gilberto Manzano.
Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle tend to draw the spotlight on this offense. But Williams, even at 37 years old and about to turn 38 this month, remains the standard at his position. McKivitz has quietly become one of the more durable, dependable pieces on a roster that has been hit hard by injuries the last two seasons.
Sports Illustrated’s Case for the 49ers’ Tackle Duo
Manzano put Williams and McKivitz at the top of his rankings, pointing to the combination of Williams’ talent and Kyle Shanahan’s scheme. He described San Francisco as having the league’s best left tackle playing in the most productive scheme for offensive linemen, adding that the pairing of Williams’ ability with Shanahan’s system has given the 49ers flexibility up front since Williams arrived via trade from Washington in 2020.
McKivitz doesn’t get nearly the attention Williams does, but Manzano made a point of crediting him too. He noted McKivitz has been far more than a replacement-level plug-in for former right tackle Mike McGlinchey, backing that up with the three-year, $45 million extension McKivitz signed last year. Manzano also pointed out that McKivitz has started every game since 2023, a notable streak for a team that has dealt with heavy injury losses in recent years.
Williams’ own health was part of the case for the No. 1 ranking. Manzano wrote that Williams has battled injuries throughout his career but stayed healthy for most of the 2025 season. That availability mattered. With both bookend tackles on the field, San Francisco was able to overcome a wave of other injuries last season, advancing to the divisional round of the playoffs after an upset wild-card win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Numbers Behind the Ranking
The tape backs up the analysis. Pro Football Network’s OL Impact metric also rated Williams and McKivitz as the NFL’s top tackle duo last season, and the raw numbers support that. San Francisco’s two tackles combined to allow just seven sacks, 64 pressures and 17 quarterback hits last season, a 5.3% pressure rate — an efficient number for two players logging a full season of snaps protecting Brock Purdy.
| Player | Position | 2025 Sacks Allowed | Contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Williams | Left Tackle | Combined 7 (with McKivitz) | 2-year, $50M extension (April 2026) |
| Colton McKivitz | Right Tackle | Combined 7 (with Williams) | 3-year, $45M extension (2025) |
Why This Matters for the 49ers’ 2026 Outlook
Keeping both tackles in place wasn’t guaranteed. Williams’ contract situation dragged through the offseason, with reports in February and March suggesting the 49ers and their star left tackle were struggling to find common ground on reducing his cap number, which stood near $38.8 million. That standoff resolved in April, when Williams signed a two-year, $50 million extension that dropped his 2026 cap hit to roughly $20 million and freed up more than $26 million in immediate space. General manager John Lynch confirmed the deal at the time, saying the team did it “with great confidence that Trent’s going to be here for a couple years.”
McKivitz, for his part, had his own decision to make last year. He was still a season away from unrestricted free agency when he agreed to re-sign with the 49ers rather than testing the open market. In an interview earlier this offseason, he pointed to more than money as the reason he stayed. “My goal never was to be the highest paid,” McKivitz said. “With the contract I was offered, I don’t want to leave here. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. I like it here.”
“We’re really excited about that. Trent’s a phenomenal player.” — John Lynch, 49ers GM, on the Trent Williams extension
With both tackles now under contract through at least 2027, San Francisco enters training camp with its offensive line mostly settled — a rarity for a team that has burned through injury replacements up front in each of the last two seasons. The lingering question is left guard, where the 49ers have an open competition rather than a clear starter.
A Loaded NFC West Awaits
None of this happens in a vacuum. San Francisco is playing in what’s shaping up as the toughest division in football, sharing the NFC West with the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks and a Los Angeles Rams team that just traded for edge rusher Myles Garrett. The Rams open the season against San Francisco in Week 1 — in Australia.
Keeping Williams and McKivitz healthy and on the field together will matter as much as anything else the 49ers do this year. San Francisco went 12-5 and reached the divisional round last season despite a rash of other injuries, largely because its tackles held up. If that holds again in 2026, the 49ers have as good a shot as anyone to come out of a loaded NFC.
