Trent Williams - Pro Football Rumors

49ers, Trent Williams Rework Contract

May 28th, 2020 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have yet to give Trent Williams an extension, but they did do a solid for their new starting left tackle. San Francisco revised the final year of the veteran’s contract to give him some upfront payment, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.

For months, we heard that Willians would demand a brand new deal from any team that traded for him. However, after he was shipped from the Redskins to the 49ers, Williams said he was willing to put extension talks on the back burner. With that, Williams is set to play out the last season on his original D.C. deal, one that pays him $12.5MM in base salary. But, thanks to the recent adjustment, it’ll come with some guaranteed cash. Before, that sum was completely non-guaranteed.

Williams has been out of football for more than a year and he’s undoubtedly eager to prove himself all over again. The multiple-time Pro Bowler will take over for SF legend Joe Staley, who kept his retirement plans on the hush until the Niners were able to secure his replacement.

The Rams were in the mix to trade for Williams, even though they’ve got limited cap flexibility and a massive Jalen Ramsey extension on the docket. The Vikings were also a frontrunner for Williams, and they would have given him an extension, but the left tackle may have blocked that deal. Instead of money and security from Minnesota, Williams will reunite with Kyle Shanahan in the Bay Area.

Latest On Jason Peters’ Market

May 12th, 2020 at 1:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connected to a possible return to the Eagles for what would be a 12th season in Philadelphia, Jason Peters remains a free agent. And he either is attempting to convince teams he can be an option for longer than one season or he believes he will legitimately play into his 40s.

The decorated left tackle has said that he feels great and views playing past 40 as realistic, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (video link). While the Eagles and Peters appear to be in a holding pattern for now, Garafolo adds other teams have engaged in discussions with the 38-year-old blocker.

Teams like the Broncos and Chargers make sense for a stopgap left tackle. Neither drafted one, and the Bolts now have a new quarterback investment — in No. 6 overall pick Justin Herbert — and a glaring vacancy at left tackle after trading Russell Okung to the Panthers for Trai Turner. The Broncos, Bolts, Browns and Jets could be suitors, per James Palmer of NFL.com, but nothing concrete has emerged on Peters beyond a potential Eagles return. The Browns and Jets drafted tackles in Round 1, and each is expected to start in Week 1.

Denver did not pick up Garett Bolles‘ fifth-year option but was also not in the mix for Trent Williams, Palmer adds. As of now, the Broncos’ plan is for Bolles and swing man Elijah Wilkinson — who started at right tackle for most of 2019 due to Ja’Wuan James‘ injury issues — to battle for the left tackle spot. The Broncos carry just more than $17MM in cap space; the Chargers hold $22MM-plus. Both teams were active in March, adding several new starters, and the Broncos loaded up on offensive playmakers in the draft. Each AFC West squad, though, has a big question at left tackle.

As for Peters’ plans of playing past 40, that would certainly be a rare occurrence for his position. Hall of Fame right tackle Jackie Slater and Ray Brown, who primarily played guard in his 20-year career, are the only tackles in NFL history to suit up for age-40 seasons. Andrew Whitworth, however, just re-signed a multiyear deal with the Rams. He will turn 39 later this year.

West Notes: 49ers, Dissly, Raiders

May 9th, 2020 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

With DeForest Buckner‘s asking price starting at $20MM per year, the 49ers gave the Pro Bowl defensive tackle’s agent permission to seek a trade at the Combine, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Lynch told Joel Segal, Buckner’s agent, that the four-year San Francisco starter had earned a megadeal. But in order for the 49ers to sign off on a trade, a first-round pick had to be involved. Segal found a taker in the Colts before the Combine’s conclusion.

“Not only did he bring back a first-round pick, he brought back the 13th pick,” Lynch said. “And then, it’s like, ‘Whoa, I didn’t think he’d do that.’ By that point, you start looking at how we can keep our team together. And I guess a long story short, it’s not something we wanted to do, but at a certain point, we felt like that was the best decision.”

The 49ers opted to extend Arik Armstead at $17MM per year, instead trading Buckner to the Colts and drafting defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw 14th overall. Buckner signed a $21MM-AAV deal with Indianapolis. Here is more from San Francisco as well as some news from the AFC West:

Lynch called Ron Rivera before the draft, hoping to finalize a Trent Williams trade before the virtual event began, Breer adds. The Redskins HC informed the 49ers GM “too much interest” was coming Washington’s way for the long-disgruntled tackle to have a trade done before the draft. While the 49ers rated Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs rated “incredibly high,” they preferred Kinlaw in an effort to keep their defensive line as one of the NFL’s deepest position groups. Allowing the Buccaneers to draft Wirfs at No. 13, via one-slot trade-down, preceded the 49ers winning the Williams sweepstakes. Rivera called Lynch Saturday morning to inform that San Francisco’s Friday offer of third- and fifth-round picks was enough to close a deal, according to the 49ers GM.
Will Dissly has suffered season-ending injuries early in each of his two NFL campaigns. The Seahawks are not ready to give up on him, however. Despite Seattle signing Greg Olsen and drafting Colby Parkinson in Round 4, Dissly is a roster lock — as long as he’s healthy — according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Regarding Dissly’s health, he fully expects to be ready for training camp, per Omar Ruiz of NFL.com (video link). A 2018 fourth-rounder who has played in just 10 NFL games, Dissly suffered an Achilles tear in October of last year.
The Raiders are not looking to move Lamarcus Joyner back to safety. They hope to keep the ex-Rams safety as a slot corner, to the point it affected the team’s pursuit of All-Decade defender Chris Harris, Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes (subscription required). The Raiders were in on Harris, but the ex-Broncos slot standout preferred the Chargers to the Raiders.
The Seahawks, whose top two running backs are recovering from injuries, are not closing the door on another Marshawn Lynch contract.

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Newton, Williams, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants

April 30th, 2020 at 7:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Things weren’t great down the stretch for the Redskins and Trent Williams, but the new 49ers tackle says he’s not harboring any ill will towards his former team.

“I’m thankful this is over,” Williams told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). “Thanks to Dan [Snyder] and the organization for all they’ve done for me. Still a lot of love for the fans and that locker room. Now I’m focusing on being the best player I can possibly be for the 49ers.”

Now that his saga with the Redskins is in the rear view mirror, Williams is focused on hashing out a new deal with the defending NFC champs. Right now, Williams is set to play out the 2020 season on a $12.5MM base salary, but the veteran says there’s mutual interest in a fresh pact. Given Williams’ medical history and age, it remains to be seen whether the 49ers would be willing to commit substantial guaranteed cash to him. Then again, he’s a seven-time Pro Bowler at a premium position and the Niners, ideally, want to keep him happy.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

Were the Redskins ever serious about selecting Tua Tagovailoa instead of stud edge rusher Chase Young? “No, not really,” head coach Ron Rivera said this week (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports). “We just feel about the things we saw from Dwayne Haskins,” Rivera continued. “I feel good enough about him that I’m willing to take that chance, that opportunity.”
Meanwhile, the longtime Panthers head coach isn’t ruling out a reunion with former MVP Cam Newton (via NFL.com). “You know, the thing about Cam really is the situation,” said Rivera. “We’re in a situation where we’ve got two really young quarterbacks, one that’s been with us, been in the system, understands how we want things done and the other one is a guy who was taken last year in the first round and shows some promise.” For now, Newton is holding out for an opportunity to start.
The Cowboys coughed up a 2021 fifth-round pick to the Eagles to take Wisconsin lineman Tyler Biadsz last week. The intra-divisional trade wasn’t an easy call, but they were able to stomach it thanks to a wealth of mid-round selections coming their way, The Athletic’s Jon Machota writes. Jerry Jones & Co. will recoup comp picks after losing four starters in free agency: cornerback Byron Jones, edge rusher Robert Quinn, wide receiver Randall Cobb, and defensive tackle Maliek Collins.
The Giants non-tendered center Jon Halapio earlier this year, but there’s a strong chance he’ll return to the team as he recovers from an Achilles injury, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. For now, the Giants have a few options on hand in guard Shane Lemieux – who has never lined up in the middle – Spencer Pulley, and G/T Nick Gates.

Trent Williams Willing To Wait On New Deal

April 30th, 2020 at 2:27pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers are now the team dealing with Trent Williams‘ hopes for a new contract. But their new left tackle said he is willing to be patient.

In addressing his contract Thursday, Williams did not indicate this is an issue the 49ers must address now. The soon-to-be 32-year-old lineman has one season — with a non-guaranteed $12.5MM base salary — remaining on a five-year deal he agreed to in 2015.

“We both agreed on we can take a wait-and-see approach,” Williams said, via the San Jose Mercury News’ Cam Inman (on Twitter). “… Obviously it’s an incentive for me to play well. Both parties are interested in something long term but I’m more than OK with just getting my feet wet and just playing it out.”

Shortly after Joe Staley‘s retirement, the 49ers traded a 2020 fifth-round pick and a 2021 third-rounder for Williams. This ended a lengthy standoff with the Redskins. The Vikings had also pursued Williams, who was believed to have scuttled a trade to Minnesota. Williams’ agent denied this, and Williams said the Vikings did not land him because they dropped out of the chase. The soon-to-be 32-year-old tackle added that his and the Vikings’ visions did not line up. The Vikings drafted Ezra Cleveland in Round 2.

“The Vikings, long term, and what I looked at long term, it didn’t sync up,” Williams said, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “They just really dropped out. It wasn’t me refusing to go.”

The seven-time Pro Bowler worked with Kyle Shanahan during the latter’s stay as Washington’s offensive coordinator. The familiarity with Shanahan and his offensive system led Williams to view San Francisco as a preferred destination, he added.

Rams Were In On Trent Williams; Latest On Williams’ Contract

April 25th, 2020 at 8:28pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Earlier today the Trent Williams saga finally came to an end, when the Redskins traded the left tackle to the 49ers. Right at the end we heard the Rams could emerge as a suitor, and apparently Los Angeles did in fact kick the tires.

The Rams, who currently have 38-year-old Andrew Whitworth at left tackle and Rob Havenstein at right tackle, were in the race, and head coach Sean McVay “dabbled” with reuniting with Williams as a guard, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets. McVay previously coached Williams when he was Washington’s offensive coordinator. McVay didn’t sound too happy about losing out to his division rival, saying, “thanks for reminding me. I need to go drink a couple of more beers,” when asked about the deal, via Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network (Twitter link).

A proposed trade to the Vikings apparently would’ve come with an extension, but Williams torpedoed that deal earlier this morning. Now, it doesn’t sound like he’s getting an extension anytime soon. 49ers GM John Lynch said the team will let 2020 play out “and see what happens after the season,” per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link). Indeed, head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Williams himself made it clear that he wanted to wait on an extension and to earn a new, lucrative pact.

“Trent has been out of football for a year and a half, and Trent made it clear to everyone he wants to come back and didn’t want to do a deal right away,” Shanahan said (via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). “He wanted to play and try to get back into it and see where he was at with the rest of the league and pick up where he left off.”

Of course, that’s quite a contrast from earlier reports suggesting that Williams not only wanted out of Washington, he also wanted a brand new contract that puts him at the top of the LT market. But perhaps the opportunity to leave the Redskins and to get a fresh start with the defending NFC champs mitigated his financial demands for the time being.

Williams sat out all of last season due to his dispute with the Redskins, but before that he was one of the league’s best tackles. He’ll slide in as an excellent replacement for Joe Staley, who elected to hang up his cleats earlier today.

Redskins Trade Trent Williams To 49ers

April 25th, 2020 at 11:08am CST by Ben Levine

Trent Williams is heading to San Francisco. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins are trading the lineman to the 49ers. Washington will receive a fifth-rounder in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in next year’s draft. ESPN’s Josina Anderson previously reported (via Twitter) that the Redskins had a “deal in place” for the lineman.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes (on Twitter) that a contract extension isn’t in place. Williams has been seeking a new contract that would make him one of the highest-paid lineman in the NFL. Those contract demands ended up influencing the Redskins’ return in a trade; while plenty of teams were reportedly interested in trading for Williams, they were wary of signing him to a long-term deal. Williams has one year and a $12.5MM base salary remaining on his current contract.

Interestingly, a new deal for Williams is not part of the deal with the Niners, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Had Williams gone to the Vikings, he would have received a fresh pact to reposition the tackle market. The Vikes deal fell through, however, because Williams did not want to go to Minnesota, Rapoport hears. The Browns also were in the mix – and long believed to be the frontrunners – but the 49ers and Vikings were the last teams left in the sweepstakes (Twitter link).

The Buccaneers and Jets were also connected to Williams in recent weeks, but they opted for younger (and cheaper) offensive line help in the first round of the draft instead. At No. 11, the Jets landed Mekhi Becton, who shoves defensive linemen and trucks with ease. At No. 13, the Buccaneers got Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, who offers four position potential and ridiculous athleticism for his size.

We heard earlier today that the 49ers could emerge as a suitor. For starters, it’s uncertain if Joe Staley will come back next year, as the veteran lineman has flirted with retirement. Furthermore, Williams has a relationship with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Washington’s offensive coordinator between 2010 and 2013. Considering the seven-time Pro Bowler’s familiarity with the system, he’s a logical fit for San Francisco.

More On Vikings’ Failed Pursuit Of Trent Williams

April 25th, 2020 at 10:37am CST by Ben Levine

Another hour, another Trent Williams story. This time, the offensive lineman’s agent says the player never objected to a trade to the Vikings.

“On behalf of my client Trent Williams and with the permission of the Washington Redskins I sought trade opportunities for the Redskins to trade Trent,” wrote agent Vincent Taylor (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). “Once I identified the potential trade partners, I wanted to respect all teams’ rights and the process and allowed the Redskins to negotiate directly with the other teams. There has been false reporting that Trent and I objected to particular trades. I will continue to respect the Redskins’ right to negotiate a trade, and hope that the negotiations quickly lead to a trade that is in the Redskins’ interest, Trent’s interest, and the interest of the other team.”

We learned earlier today that the Redskins had been closing in on a deal with the Vikings. However, at the eleventh hour, Williams reportedly nixed the deal.

While Williams’ agent said there’s been “false reporting,” NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said the agent’s “statement is actually false…what I reported is true.”

In fact, Rapoport provides more insight into the failed talks between Washington and Minnesota, noting that the organizations has been talking trade for some time. In fact, the Vikings had actually discussed a new contract with Williams’ agent, and the trade “should have gotten done.” Instead, the Minnesota front office found out yesterday that the offensive lineman didn’t want to join their team.

While the Vikings are out of the race (especially after taking Ezra Cleveland in the second round), it sounds like the Redskins still have some suitors. Earlier today, we heard that the 49ers and Rams could emerge as trade partners.

Trent Williams Nixed Redskins/Vikings Trade

April 25th, 2020 at 8:45am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Trent Williams saga almost came to an end last night, but the offensive lineman ended up squashing the trade. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins and Vikings were close to a deal, but Williams made it clear that he didn’t want to play for Minnesota.

“At some point over the course of today, Williams made it known he would rather not go to the Minnesota Vikings,” Rapoport said (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams). “Essentially, that ended the trade right there.”

Any hope for reconciliation was quieted towards the end of the second round. The Vikings ended up satisfying their need for a lineman by taking Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland with the No. 58 pick.

Williams denied the rumors on Saturday:

“No, that’s not true,” Williams told ESPN’s John Keim and Courtney Cronin.

Just because the Washington/Minnesota trade didn’t happen, it doesn’t necessarily mean Williams won’t be dealt. Keim reports that several teams remain interested in the lineman, including the 49ers. However, San Francisco’s interest is tied to the status of Joe Staley, who’s flirting with retirement. Keim notes that the Rams could also be a team to watch, as head coach Sean McVay previously worked with Williams in Washington.

We’ve also heard this week that a number of teams haven’t pursued the offensive lineman, including the Eagles and Buccaneers.

Williams, 31, has one year and a $12.5MM base salary remaining on his current contract. While some reports have indicated he wants to become the NFL’s highest-paid tackle with a new deal that averages something near $20MM annually, Williams’ agent has denied those claims.

NFL Draft Rumors: Vikings, Jags, Redskins

April 24th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings have “done a lot of work on” Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link), but Minnesota may have to move up in Round 2 in order to land him. Per Wolfson, the Vikings may need to get ahead of the Jaguars at No. 42 if they want to grab Cleveland. Minnesota’s second-round pick doesn’t come until No. 58 overall, so general manager Rick Spielman would need to work some magic in order to move up. Luckily, the Vikings have 12 picks remaining in the draft that could be used as trade ammunition.

Here’s more on the 2020 draft:

Speaking of the Vikings and offensive tackles, the ideas of Minnesota acquiring Redskins tackle Trent Williams and moving up in Round 2 aren’t mutually exclusive, as Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune tweets. Washington wants draft capital it can use this year, and while the club has been asking for a second-round pick, the Redskins could also accept a combination of selections that add up to the value of a second-rounder, per John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Minnesota could use any number of those aforementioned 12 remaining picks in order to patch together an offer for Williams.
Two clubs were attempting to move into the Buccaneers‘ No. 14 slot in order to land Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs, which prompted Tampa Bay to move up one spot into No. 13 and take Wirfs for themselves, reports Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Presumably, the Bucs figured teams moving to No. 14 would also be trying to move to No. 13, which was held by San Francisco. Instead, Tampa Bay shipped a fourth-round pick to the 49ers and added Tom Brady‘s new right tackle.
When the Raiders‘ first came on the clock at No. 12, the club’s initial discussions involved offensive tackles, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Oakland’s interest in tackles is a little puzzling, as it already has 2018 first-rounder Kolton Miller on the left side and the high-priced Trent Brown on the right. Eventually, the Raiders settled on Alabama wideout Henry Ruggs.