Mother's Day will be extra special this year in Ian Williams' household.
Natalie Williams, the mother of the third-year nose tackle, is in line for a nice gift after her son signed a two-year contract extension with the San Francisco 49ers on Monday.
The news of the undrafted defensive lineman's contract extension could be summed up in one word – excitement.
"I'm excited about it – that's the main word I'm going to use," Williams told 49ers.com moments after inking an extension that'll keep him with the 49ers through the 2015 season.
As for Natalie Williams, a pretty special gift should be on the way as the young defensive lineman looks to repay all of her guidance in 23 years of life.
"She was there for me every day," the 49ers defender with six tackles in three regular season appearances in 2012 said. "That's what moms are there for. She's been there every day in my life."
Following Super Bowl XLVII, Williams went back home to Florida to spend time with his mother before moving on to a week of workouts in Chicago with fellow teammate Darius Fleming, a fellow Notre Dame standout on the 49ers.
On Sunday, Williams called his mother immediately after his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, informed him of the good news that a contract extension was agreed upon.
"It's a good feeling to hear her being excited and know I can take care of her a little bit more," the 6-foot-1, 305-pound lineman said.
Williams has been back in the Bay Area to workout at the team's training facility and took time Monday morning to ink his name on a new extension that'll keep him in the defensive line rotation for years to come.
With Isaac Sopoaga and Pierre Garçon scheduled to become free agents on Tuesday, Williams' signing gives the 49ers depth on the defensive line.
"We are very pleased to extend the contract of a young, talented player like Ian," 49ers General Manager Trent Baalke said in a statement released by the team. "He will have the opportunity to continue to grow in our defense and we look forward to his future development."
Williams is ready for an expanded role, too.
"I'm ready for the workload they're about to put on my back," he said.
Williams has played in four games, totaling seven tackles over the past two seasons. Still, even with greater football stability, Williams wants to increase his role.
The extension means a lot.
"It tells me I'm important to them," he said. "It's exciting the fact that I mean so much to the team not playing as much these past couple of years."
Williams credited defensive line coach Jim Tomsula and veterans like Justin Smith and Ray McDonald for shaping his work ethic and technique with the 49ers.
"I'm blessed to be a part of this team for a couple more years," he said.
Williams wants to continue to build on his fundamentals while strengthening his physique to handle the rigors of a 16-game regular season.
That's why he's been back at the facility working out.
"I wanted to come out here and get on the grind because this is what I do," Williams said. "Fundamentals, that's first and foremost – getting back to what we do."
It also helps that Williams still carries the memories of being undrafted in 2011.
"The chip's still there," he said. "The chip's always going to be there. You're undrafted so you had to come in and prove a lot of things."
Even so, Williams proved to be a valued part of the 49ers future on defense.
"It shows over my short span of being here that I proved enough, the team showed they're interested in me and they want me here for another two years," he said. "I'm excited about the opportunity."
For now, Williams will enjoy time with teammates at team headquarters and of course, California sunshine.
"You can't beat that," he said with a smile.
And while Williams might want to celebrate the biggest moment of his professional career, he knows there's work to be done.
And, a gift for Natalie.
"I'm going to wait for that, I'm going to surprise her with something on Mother's Day."
