The 49ers have lost all three of their Super Bowl appearances following what was the franchise’s last title in 1994.
Although 12-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams was only with San Francisco for the 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, it left a sour enough taste in his mouth that he said he would rather never go again if it means dealing with that pain another time.
“I tell people all the time that I’d rather not go [to the Super Bowl] than go and lose,” Williams said on a recent epsiode of “The Pivot Podcast.” “The pain of losing, that s–t lasts for months. That s–t lasts for months. I was under a rock for 3-4 months. Literally, I didn’t want to be seen in public. I didn’t want to see no Instagram post. I ain’t want to see no Twitter. … Actually, I actually found peace because I got off all social media. My phone was as dead as its ever been, so I was able to heal properly.”
Williams later went on to say it was the “worst pain ever.”
To take it a step further, Williams admitted that throughout his first nine years in the NFL with the Washington Commanders, he often dreamt of simply being a part of the festivities. He joked that mindset led to him manifesting a loss rather than a win.
“Obviously, we let our fans down. That’s anytime we lose. I wouldn’t say I let anyone down but my damn self. I really thought about my earliest thoughts of the Super Bowl and being in. I hate to say it, being in Washington, winning a Super Bowl was a dream. It wasn’t even that obtainable. We never even won a wild card playoff game, let alone thinking about a Super Bowl.
“At times, I’d go to Super Bowl weekend and see the festivities or whatever or watch it on TV. I used to always think, ‘I just want to be there. I just want to be a part of the weekend, no matter if I win or lose.’ I used to always say that s–t. As soon as I lost I was like, man, that’s my fault. I manifested that s–t.”
At 37 years old, Williams’ chances at being able to hoist the Lombardi Trophy may be dwindling, but the three-time All-Pro tackle still very much is yearning for a title.
Whether or not his pursuit for a title will be with the 49ers is unknown at this time, as the two parties are working to come up with a compromise to lessen his $38.8 million cap hit that severely limits the moves the team can make.