Trent Williams - Pro Football Rumors

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.

Vikings Still Pursuing Trent Williams

April 24th, 2020 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are still in the mix for Trent Williams, Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Earlier this month, the Vikings offered up a Day 3 pick to the Redskins, Cronin hears. Heading into Day 2 of the draft, the Vikings still have the draft capital in place to put a package together, so a deal remains possible.

Of course, it all comes down to what the Vikings are willing to offer for Williams – who would require a sizable contract extension upon arrival – and what the Redskins are willing to accept. Throughout the offseason, they’ve indicated they wanted at least a second-rounder for the multiple-time Pro Bowler.

To our knowledge, no one has met that asking price. But, after several suitors and potential suitors found left tackle help in the first round, the Redskins will have to dial back their expectations. The Browns were the frontrunners for Williams; they took Alabama standout Jedrick Wills Jr. with the No. 10 overall pick. The Jets, who were never willing to send a second-round pick for Williams anyway, grabbed Louisville’s Mekhi Becton at No. 11. The Buccaneers almost traded tight end O.J. Howard for Williams earlier this year, but they moved on and likely slammed the door shut with their move up for Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs.

The market for Williams has shrunk and chances of a reconciliation seem remote, so the Vikings could get one of the league’s premier protectors for pennies on the dollar.

Eagles Not Interested In Trent Williams

April 23rd, 2020 at 8:06am CST by Zachary Links

Michelangelo supposedly carved his statue of David by chipping away the pieces of marble that did not look like David. That, perhaps, will be the method to figuring out Trent Williams‘ next destination.

A rumor circulating on Thursday morning linked the Eagles to the Redskins left tackle, but they are not interested in acquiring him, a source tells PFT’s Mike Florio (Twitter link). That source says there’s “zero truth” to such talk.

Florio speculates that the initial rumor could have been planted by Washington to drum up a larger market than they presently have for Williams. So far, the Browns have been the most aggressive club in talks, and they might be the only team making a serious offer.

Plenty of teams would like to have the multiple-time Pro Bowler, but few clubs seem willing to part with significant assets, since they’d also have to give Williams a massive new contract. There’s also his age (32 in July) and medical history to consider.

To recap: The Eagles are not looking to acquire Williams, who would be largely redundant given the availability of Jason Peters and 2019 first-round choice Andre Dillard. The Bucs, who nearly traded O.J. Howard for the veteran left tackle two months ago, haven’t revisited discussions with the Redskins. Ditto for the Vikings, who showed interest in March. The Jets, unwilling to cough up a second-round pick, are not the frontrunners.

As far as we know, the Browns are in the driver’s seat. With ample leg room.

Buccaneers Haven’t Pursued Redskins’ Trent Williams This Week

April 22nd, 2020 at 3:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Two months ago, the Buccaneers nearly shipped tight end O.J. Howard to the Redskins in a deal that would have landed them Trent Williams. However, there are no active talks on Williams between the two teams, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.

Taking finances out of consideration, the Howard-for-Williams scenario would make more sense than ever right now. The arrival of Rob Gronkowski arguably makes Howard an expendable luxury and the Bucs still need quality protection for Tom Brady. Meanwhile, the Redskins are still looking to solidify the tight end position after parting ways with Jordan Reed. While sensible – again, when taking cap limitations and Williams’ demand for a hefty new contract out of the equation – nothing seems to be in the works between the Redskins and Bucs at present.

Instead, the Redskins could look to mid-round tight end options in this year’s class, or explore the late wave of available veterans. Last week, the Bears put Trey Burton on the free agent pile – he could be a low-risk option on a one-year deal with a modest base and incentives.

For the Bucs, the lack of Williams talk may signal a trade up for one of this year’s best offensive linemen. Bucs GM Jason Licht is already burning up the phone lines to explore a move, one that could put him in range for Mekhi Becton (Louisville), Jedrick Wills (Alabama), Tristan Wirfs (Iowa), or Andrew Thomas (Georgia).

Vikings Expressed Interest In Trent Williams A Month Ago

April 22nd, 2020 at 2:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings have previously expressed interest in Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams, but the two sides couldn’t come to an agreement, as John Keim of ESPN.com reports. Minnesota’s interest came about a month ago, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.com.

Per Anderson, “nothing has transpired” between the Vikings and Redskins since that initial interest is conveyed. But it’s entirely possible Minnesota could continue to work the phones on Williams as we head into draft day. The Vikings currently hold five picks within the top-105, so they should certainly have the draft capital to make a move for Williams if they want to.

Riley Reiff has manned left tackle for the Vikings in each of the past three seasons, but he’d presumably move to guard if Minnesota were to acquire Williams. The Vikings’ front five was an above-average unit in 2019, ranking seventh in Football Outsiders‘ run-blocking metric and 14th in FO’s pass-blocking charting.

Washington has reportedly taken over the Williams trade process from Williams and his agent. Any club that picks up Williams will need to put him through an exhaustive physical exam, and will probably need to extend his contract. He’s currently signed only through the 2020 campaign.

Jets Not The Frontrunner For Trent Williams

April 22nd, 2020 at 10:43am CST by Dallas Robinson

While the Jets remain interested in Redskins offensive tackle Trent Williams, they are not considered the frontrunner for the veteran lineman, according to Connor Hughes of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Washington is attempting to move Williams ahead of the draft this week, and they’ve apparently taken over complete control of the process by “closing the window” on allowing Williams and his agent to speak with other clubs. The Redskins are reportedly speaking with multiple teams regarding Williams.

New York has been tied to a Williams acquisition since early March. However, later reports indicated the Redskins were holding out for a second-round pick. The Jets, who hold the 48th overall selection, decided that was too rich an ask.

The Jets made several additions to their offensive line during free agency in signing George Fant, Connor McGovern, and Greg Van Roten, but none are on the level of Williams, who would immediately become the best Jets lineman in quite some time.

Latest On Trent Williams

April 22nd, 2020 at 10:30am CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have “closed the window” on allowing Trent Williams and his agent to seek a trade, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets, Washington has had “some really good constructive conversations” and there is “hope” a trade can be worked out shortly.

So, what does this all mean? It’s possible the Redskins gave Williams and his agent a timeline during which they could attempt to find a trade partner, and it would make sense if that deadline was the week of the draft. That time may have come and gone, so Washington is now asserting more control over the process.

As of this morning, the Redskins are still discussing Williams with multiple teams. They’d likely want to have a trade in place by draft day and acquire as many 2020 selections as possible. Of course, dealing Williams is no easy task: not only does he want a new contract, but, given his health issues, he’ll be subject to a robust physical, which isn’t a small hurdle thanks to COVID-19 concerns.

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.

Bucs Nearly Traded O.J. Howard For Trent Williams

April 22nd, 2020 at 10:08am CST by Dallas Robinson

Now that Rob Gronkowski has joined Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, incumbent Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard has become an even more obvious trade candidate than he previously was. Turns, out, the Bucs already tried to deal him earlier this year.

Two months ago, Tampa Bay nearly traded Howard to the Redskins in exchange for offensive tackle Trent Williams, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. It’s unclear if the proposed swap would have involved other players or draft picks, but in either case, the deal fell through.

Williams, of course, has been on the trade block for some time, and may still be moved this week. Had Tampa Bay been able to acquire him, Williams almost surely would have taken over at left tackle, allowing the Buccaneers to move Donovan Smith to the right side and improving their offensive line in one fell swoop.

Notably, talks involving Howard and the Redskins occurred before Brady decided on Tampa Bay and before Gronkowski came out of retirement to join him. That’s perhaps not altogether surprising, as Howard was reportedly available since the 2019 trade deadline. But a Howard deal makes all the more sense now given that Gronk has made his way to the Buccaneers.

Howard, who’s posted 34 receptions in each of the past two seasons, has one year plus a 2021 option remaining on his contract. Tampa Bay — or whatever team potentially acquires Howard — has until May 5 to exercise that option, which would be fully guaranteed.