Redskins Finally Close the Book on Trent Williams
As the NFL Draft rolled through their final day on Saturday, bringing college talent to the ranks of the professionals, we saw some surprising moves take place that raised some eyebrows around the league. While there usually isn’t a ton of news involving veterans during the draft, we did get some news involving an ongoing saga that has spanned nearly a year now. Just before Day 3 of the draft was going to kick off, there was a trade between the Washington Redskins and the San Francisco 49ers.
According to Adam Schefter, the Redskins traded disgruntled offensive tackle Trent Williams to the 49ers in exchange for a fifth-round selection in the 2020 NFL draft and a third-round pick in 2021. It actually was the first of three trades Saturday by San Francisco as they shipped Matt Breida to Miami for a fifth-round selection and receiver Marquise Goodwin and a sixth-round pick to the Eagles for Philadelphia’s sixth-round selection. By far, this deal was the biggest move for both sides, especially the 49ers as it filled a major void that had recently opened as the team looks to defend their NFC Championship.
Earlier in the day, the team was approached by tackle Joe Staley, who informed the team that he planned to retire due to health concerns. Staley, 35, had been named to six Pro Bowls, but was limited to just seven regular season games last season after breaking his leg in week two and a finger in week 10. He missed time in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs with a hand injury that required eight stitches. San Francisco held a lead in the fourth quarter against Kansas City only to see things fall apart en route to a defeat.
As for Williams, his split from the Redskins has been impending for nearly a year. He made it clear last June that he wanted the team to release or trade him at that point. Williams stated that he would hold out if the team failed to accede to his wishes, though there were differing reasons for wanting the split. The Pro Bowl tackle claimed it was lousy medical care after he had a cancerous growth removed from his scalp. Meanwhile, Washington claimed that it was all about the Benjamins as Williams had two years left on his deal with no guaranteed money on the books. When Washington failed to make a move, Williams sat out all of training camp, the preseason and the regular season. He reported on October 29 but sat out the remainder of the season after stating that the team failed to be aggressive enough to deal him at the trade deadline.
With that said, Williams still accrued a season toward free agency and that proved to be an important sticking point. The Redskins tried to do everything they could in order to prevent that as they claimed he flunked his physical and put him on the reserve/non-football injury list. After the team fired Jay Gruden and trainer Larry Hess, the team hoped to reconcile with the tackle and bring him back into the fold. However, coach Ron Rivera didn’t want the team to hand out any extensions to veteran players without him getting to know them. That led to Williams renewing his demands last month and telling his agent to try and seek a deal to get him out of town.
As it turned out, this wasn’t the first potential trade for Williams on the weekend. There were reports that the Vikings were close to a trade with the Redskins for Williams only to be told that he didn’t want to play in Minnesota. That was refuted by Williams and his agent, though other sources confirmed that it was actually the case. With Staley retiring, the 49ers needed to bring in a new piece and Williams fit the bill. It remains to be seen how the 49ers will deal with Staley’s salary and the restructuring of Williams’ deal, which was $12.5 million this season.
For the Redskins, it leaves a glaring need on their offensive line. Last season’s starter in place of Williams, Donald Penn, is still a free agent. There isn’t much on the roster that is going to really move the needle in an effort to replace him. It’s another three-ring circus for the Redskins, but would one think anything different was in the offing with Dan Snyder running the show?
