It’s not a sure thing that Trent Williams will return to the Redskins in 2020, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. The left tackle touched base with new head coach Ron Rivera and the two had a “positive” conversation, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: Redskins’ Quinton Dunbar Wants Out]

There are still hurdles to clear and hard feelings to be soothed, but there’s hope for a future together now that Bruce Allen is no longer in the equation. Williams has endured a lot over the years with the Redskins, but they’re the only franchise he’s ever known, and Rivera’s calm demeanor could pave the way towards the veteran staying put.

Williams missed the 2019 season after a surgery to remove a cancerous growth prevented him from playing and even putting on a helmet. When he was placed on the non-football injury (NFI) list, the Redskins opted not to pay him the remainder of his salary, taking away about $5.1MM in earnings. For Williams, the issue was about much more that football – he also accused team doctors of misdiagnosing his issue way back in 2013, putting his health in jeopardy.

Williams, who will turn 32 prior before the start of the season, graded out as Pro Football Focus’ best tackle in the NFL in 2016. He’s missed a combined 29 games over the past four seasons, but he still profiles as one of the league’s most talented and accomplished linemen.

As it stands, Williams is set to earn a $12.5MM salary in 2020.

The Redskins’ revamped regime is fully intent on keeping Trent Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The old guard was intent on moving on from a messy situation with their star left tackle, but Ron Rivera & Co. see him as a huge part of their plan going forward. 

This jibes with recent word on Williams – the club is optimistic about their chances of mending fences with the multiple-time Pro Bowler. Hurdles remain, but the Redskins plan to do a deep dive on Williams’ game tape and situation starting next week, Rapoport hears, and formulate a plan to keep the veteran happy and healthy.

Williams missed all of 2019 in a drama-filled year between him and the franchise. Last offseason, Williams underwent surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his head. Williams says that he first noticed the growth way back in 2013, but team doctors told him that the issue was not serious and advised him to continue without surgery.

Since then, Williams has been diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), a soft tissue sarcoma. In October, he made an effort to end his holdout and return to the field, but he was in immense pain when he tried to put on his helmet.

In November, the Redskins parked Williams on the NFI list and chose not to pay the rest of his $5.1MM salary. Williams has voiced frustration with the Redskins on a number of levels, but there’s at least a chance that he’ll resume playing for the Redskins and their new leadership.

Not too long ago, left tackle Trent Williams was adamant about never playing for the Redskins again, even though he’s under contract with Washington through the 2020 season. Now, however, the tide could be turning.

Per JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington, there is optimism that the club could get its seven-time Pro Bowler back. Williams sat out the entire 2019 season, because even when he ended his holdout in late October to prevent his contract from tolling, he could not pass his physical due to the pain he felt when he put on his helmet.

That pain, of course, is one small part of a much larger battle between Williams and the Redskins. Williams felt a great deal of animosity towards the organization for how it dealt with what turned out to be a cancerous tumor on his head, and the fact that the Redskins put him on the NFI list in November and opted to not pay him the remainder of his $5.1MM salary only made things worse.

But previous reports indicated that most of Williams’ ire was directed towards former team president Bruce Allen, who was fired at the end of December. Since then, the Redskins have hired the well-respected Ron Rivera as head coach, and Rivera has overhauled the club’s medical staff.

Rivera, in a recent interview with Larry Michael on Redskins Nation, indicated he wants Williams back. “We got to get Trent in, we got to sit him down, see where he is, see how he is, healthwise too,” Rivera said. “We have not really had the contact we need to have to know. He’s still our guy.”

Williams, who will turn 32 prior to the 2020 regular season, missed 13 games over the 2016-18 seasons due to various injuries, but he graded out as the league’s best overall tackle in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and still managed to place No. 21 in a relatively down 2018. He is due a $12.5MM salary in 2020 if he stays with the ‘Skins under his current deal.

The Trent Williams story continues to get more complex by the hour, and we’ve got another batch of updates ready for you. Yesterday the Redskins placed Williams on the NFI list, ending his 2019 season. Early this morning Williams blasted the team and said there was no hope of reconciliation, and then just a few hours ago we heard Washington had decided not to pay the left tackle any of his salary for 2019.

Williams spoke with Dan Graziano of ESPN.com earlier today, and said that he underwent three surgeries this offseason but felt “football-ready” by Week 2 (Twitter link). Williams again confirmed to Graziano that he wants to play next season, saying “It’s what I do. I want to continue my Pro Bowl streak. I want to win a Super Bowl. I’ve got a lot of stuff I want to accomplish. I hate that I got derailed, but I’m blessed and I’m back. Looking for that helmet that can fit” (Twitter link).

When Williams ended his holdout and reported to the team, he said he couldn’t wear his helmet because of pain from the surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his head. Finally, Graziano tweeted that Williams didn’t sound too confident about winning a grievance to get some money back. Williams declined to say whether he’d be filing a grievance through the NFLPA but said “shoot, that’s their discretion. Non-football Illness, you know, it’s cancer, you can’t say it’s related to football. So I don’t know how much argument we have.”

However, Williams might have a case to make. He could argue that since Washington’s medical staff failed to advise him to remove the growth on his head earlier, they are at fault. And it’s possible the “failure to address the issue sooner makes the end result — Williams’ current inability to wear a helmet — a football injury and not a non-football injury,” writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. That being said, Florio writes that one source told him it will still be an “uphill battle” for Williams to get his current situation classified as a football injury.

Williams says team doctors repeatedly told him the growth on his head was just a harmless cyst over the years, which obviously turned out not to be true. That sounds like it could be grounds for a malpractice lawsuit, as Florio writes in a separate article. Florio also argues that it would “make sense for the team to offer to terminate his contract in exchange for a full and complete waiver and release of any and all claims,” since Williams has made it clear that he just wants to be released from his contract.

That could be the most sensible option for both sides, as Williams has made it clear he doesn’t want to go through a whole investigation, one that he says the Redskins would use to smear him. This saga is far from over, and it looks like things could get ugly as Washington has made it clear they don’t plan on budging anytime soon.

The Redskins have elected to not pay Trent Williams the remainder of his $5.1MM base salary for the 2019 season, league sources tell Field Yates and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Per league rules, teams have the right to not pay players who are on the non-football injury list and the Redskins are exercising that right. 

Williams was placed on NFI on Thursday. On Friday morning, he lashed out at the Redskins yet again and made it known that he does not intend to play for them ever again. The offensive tackle remains under contract through the 2020 season, but it’s hard to envision a reconciliation for the two sides.

The Redskins had the opportunity to move Williams before the late October trade deadline, but they held on to him instead. The Redskins may explore trades again in the offseason, but at that stage, they won’t have much in the way of leverage. Many have questioned the Redskins’ handling of the Williams’ situation on the whole, as well as their refusal to cut ties with him this year.

Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowler, has missed 13 games over the last three seasons due to various injuries. He graded out as the league’s best overall tackle in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and still managed to place No. 21 in a relatively down 2018.

Despite the health issues, including a recent cancer scare, Williams says he wants to continue playing football. Just not in D.C.

Left tackle Trent Williams says there is no hope for reconciliation between him and the Redskins. In an interview with Mike Jones of USA Today, the veteran accused the team of showing no real compassion for his medical situation or wellbeing. 

“I feel like everything has run its course,” Williams said. “I mean, I do want to play football still and I’m not a free agent until after the 2020 season, so who knows. But the bridge has definitely been burned, and any efforts now, basically are, in my opinion, pretty much just CYA.”

According to Williams, this is nothing new, nor is it exclusive to just him.

“Mine isn’t the only situation they got wrong. There are a lot of situations they could have looked into. Why didn’t they do it before now? Why didn’t they do it in Colt McCoy’s case? And they keep putting out these false reports. That’s never helpful. I just feel like regardless of what the findings of the investigation are, they’re going to try to find a way to paint me negatively and make themselves look better.”

Williams’ season is now over, after the Redskins placed him on the NFI list. He wants to resume playing, once he’s healthy, but not in Washington.

Despite his frustrations, Williams did confirm that he approached the Redskins about a contract extension before the start of the season. However, with two years remaining on his contract, he was rebuffed.

“I knew I was coming up on a year with no guaranteed money, and I wanted to open the conversation about them making me a Redskin for the rest of my career,” Williams said. “I understand that either a team wants the player and will extend him, or they’ll send him somewhere so they can get some value for him. I told Bruce, ‘I understand that we’re in a rebuild and if you don’t want to dump any more money in the O-line, I’d like to go somewhere that I’m wanted.’ I still felt like I’ve got 5-6 more healthy years left of quality football.”

The Redskins recently requested a joint review of left tackle Trent Williams‘ medical records, but that won’t be happening. At Williams’ request, the NFLPA will not cooperate with an investigation into Williams’ health, as players union chief DeMaurice Smith told Junks Radio (Twitter link via Craig Hoffman of 106.7 The Fan).

“Our union will continue to support Trent,” Smith said in a statement. “Although he has asked us to not pursue a formal review of his treatment, we will consider all legal action if the affirmative disinformation campaign and the leaking of his private medical records does not stop. Doctors have an ethical obligation to treat our men as patients first regardless of where their check comes from. It is our job to ensure that they honor that duty and if we find that the have not, we must then hold the physician accountable to the CB and their medical licensing authority.”

Williams first noticed the growth in 2013, but he says Redskins doctors told him the issue was not severe. However, he’s since been diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans (DFSP), a “soft tissue sarcoma that develops in the deep layers of the skin.” This offseason, the Redskins sent Williams to a hospital where the condition was finally recognized, and he had an operation during the winter to remove the growth.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, Williams doesn’t have much of an incentive to agree to a joint review of his medical records. Even if the Redskins were found to be at fault, Washington would likely be only be fined for its actions. Additionally, once Williams’ medical information is disclosed, there is a chance his records could be leaked.

Williams, of course, recently reported to the Redskins after sitting out most of the season. He didn’t pass his physical after reporting pain due to his helmet, and Washington is now searching for a more comfortable helmet. If the club can’t provide Williams with suitable head gear, he may be placed on the non-football injury list, ending his 2019 season before it begins.