San Francisco 49ers offensive tackle Trent Williams (71). Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

49ers Superstar Trent Williams Reveals his Biggest Football Nightmare

Originally posted on San Francisco 49ers on SI
By Grant Cohn | Last updated Oct 9, 2025 7:57 PM ET

Football is a scary sport.

On any given snap, a player could give up a play that gets them benched or suffer an injury that ends their career. These players don't play many games or receive many opportunities to make mistakes. If they make a few, they could get replaced. High stakes.

With that in mind, it's easy to imagine NFL football players having recurring football nightmares. You and I wake up in a cold sweat when we dream that we're back in high school and we didn't do our homework. NFL players wake up in a cold sweat when they dream that they fumbled or gave up a touchdown catch.

So what does Trent Williams, one of the greatest football players of all time, dream about when he has football nightmares?

Inside the mind of Trent Williams

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

"I get one frequently," Williams told me on Thursday in the 49ers' locker room. "And I'm pretty sure a lot of us get it, but it's oversleeping the game. Pulling up at halftime. I wake up in a sweat on that one."

What a relatable nightmare.

It's like the feeling you get when you dream that you've arrived at a class and there's a midterm that day that you didn't study for. Your stomach drops. And then you wake up, hopefully.

What I find interesting about Williams' worst football nightmare is that it has nothing to do with the game on the field. There is nothing that a defensive end possibly could do to him that would make him wake up in a panic. This man is 37 years old and has given up just one sack since 2022 despite hardly practicing. He's one of the most laidback, confident people in the world.

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

So, of course, his biggest fear is simply sleeping through the first half of a game. It sounds like something he might actually do one day, because he's so relaxed. Why would he lose sleep over a game he dominates weekly?

I wonder if Williams will continue to get this nightmare once he retires. I bet he will. I still get nightmares about high school and college.

Maybe one day in a few years, Williams will sleep late on a football Sunday, wake up around noon, jump in the car and dash to Levi's Stadium before remembering that he doesn't play professional football anymore.

Then he'd probably drive home and go back to sleep.

This article first appeared on San Francisco 49ers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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