The Washington Redskins are finding it hard to trade seven-time Pro-Bowler, Trent Williams.
After allowing the 31-year-old left tackle to seek a trade over a week ago, there have been minimal bites from the rest of the league, even though Williams presents a near sure-fire answer to shore up one of the most important positions on the field.
There are a few reasons this could be happening. For starters, Williams is nearing the end of his prime, if he’s not already past it, and he hasn’t played a snap in over a year. On top of that, he is likely to ask for a new contract from the team which sees him as the highest-paid LT in the NFL, one that would pay him at least $20 million per season.
Then there’s the Redskins, who aren’t inclined to just give Williams away for free. Reports are out that Washington is looking for fair compensation for their blue-chip asset, and hoping for at least a second-round draft pick in return. As of late, that seems highly unlikely to happen.
So the question begs to be asked, whose fault is it that this deal isn’t getting done? Trent Williams or the Redskins?
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the future contract extension that a team would have to give Williams should they trade for him is the biggest obstacle at this point. A team would likely be willing to give up a first- or second-round pick to bring Williams in, but they are gun-shy to give him top-of-the-market money. And understandably so, as well. If Williams wasn’t asking for so much money, the Redskins would be keeping him around in the first place, as the relationship between player and team has reportedly been worked out to good standing.
As time goes on, it’s possible that we could see Williams agree to take less, leading to more legitimate trade offers from prospective teams. We also may see him hold firm, leading to another holdout that lasts through the summer. If we’ve learned anything from the past year, anything can happen.
