The San Francisco 49ers and their star left lineman, who will be paid a league-high ($27.65 million) for offensive linemen this season, reached an agreement on Tuesday to a reworked three-year, $82.66 million contract. It includes a $48 million signing bonus and a $25.69 million signing bonus.When asked what he wanted to achieve by holding out, Williams said, “Security,” plainly.Even though the contract he signed in 2021 still had three years left on it, there was no further guaranteed money in that agreement.

I didn’t think that it would get this drawn out, but it’s a tough business and this was a very intricate contract,” Williams said. “Restructure rather than refer to it as a quarrel. It took some time to ascertain how each party felt.

Figuring out how to pay a guy who, at 36, was still one of the best, if not the best, in his position was at the heart of the dispute between the Niners and Williams.

Williams stated on Tuesday that he first requested that the 49ers guarantee the money he would still owe them on the $138.1 million, six-year contract he signed to remain in San Francisco after 2021. He also admitted that the fact that he was no longer the highest-paid tackle in the league in terms of average annual wage contributed to a lack of respect.

The talks started during the team’s June minicamp, but Williams claimed he left with the impression that it may take some time to reach an agreement because the Niners had other matters to attend to.

I didn’t take that as a slight because I’ve been around long enough to understand all sides of the argument. That being said, one of the main arguments was that, yes, I was bound by a contract until I turned 38. Telling someone, “Hey, they haven’t  seen it before,” is difficult. I understand, but we’ve never seen someone play and be the best at their position—that’s not a quarterback. And in my opinion, it’s simply additional fuel on the fire to demonstrate my ability to be something unique.”

Williams has stated he would like to play until he is forty years old, although he has also openly explored the possibility of retiring in recent years.

The Niners are having successful postseason runs.