Washington Redskins allow left star striker Trent Williams to seek a career, says Dianna Russini of ESPN. As long as a business partner is found, it will mean the end of Williams at D.C. and what has been a long and tumultuous saga.
Williams has been absent for the entire 2019 season due to problems between him and the team’s medical staff. The key question was surrounding cancerous growth in his head. Williams says the team said it was a minor problem and misdiagnosed its severity. The growth has since been suppressed, but Williams says he almost lost his life because of it. With this, a serious distrust formed between him and the team and triggered a request for release or exchange last year. Washington ultimately chose not to budge from it, but Williams still spent the entire regular season.
In recent weeks, things have seemed to be moving in a more positive direction, especially after the hiring of new head coach Ron Rivera and the complete overhaul of medical staff, including the addition of a highly respected coach, Ryan Vermillion. Rivera even previously noted that they communicated with Williams and that he “is still our guy.” There was also a report the team believed he was likely to play for them in 2020.
Life comes to you quickly.
Williams, who has been named to seven Pro Bowls in his career, is only one year away from his current contract and wears a cap of $ 14.5 million. The good news for the Redskins is that he’s only carrying a charge of $ 2 million, so leaving him won’t do more damage than losing a first blind tackle. Although he missed the whole last year, the 31-year-old is still considered one of the best left tackles in the league. Given this, there will likely be a number of needy teams that will tackle Williams’ services.
One team that comes to mind is the Cleveland Browns, who have former Williams head coach Bill Callahan on staff. It would certainly be a team that could strengthen their offensive line to help quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Now that Williams has been given the green light to seek an exchange, it’s just a matter of what the Redskins will ask for in compensation.