The Trent Williams saga will simply not go away. With all the problems that seemed to be solved to make the team's top offensive lineman happy, things got even more complicated. Now, it's time for the team to part ways with the Pro Bowler.
With the whole debacle out of the way, the big problem now is Williams wants to restructure his contract. He currently is being paid $12.5 million per year, but the money is not guaranteed in 2020 based on the parameters of his contract. So while it's understandable that he wants his contract to be restructured, what he wants makes life a bit more difficult. He is looking to make $20 million, which would be a steep price to pay as that would make it harder to build a contender with that hard of a cap hit. He was already the highest paid player at his position when he signed the contract in 2015, it has since been surpassed by Lane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles and Trent Brown of the Las Vegas Raiders. The difference between their contracts and Williams' is the length as their's were more financially sound for the teams while the players were able to make a lot of money.
So, with all that in mind, it would be hard for him to stay around. While he is going to be 32 for the 2020 season and his best years are past him, he's still a good enough offensive tackle that he has good value. That's where the 2020 NFL Draft comes in.
The Redskins have seven draft picks coming up this week, but after the fourth round, they only have a fifth and two seventh rounders. That would be hard to build a good team upon. So, with the type of value Williams has, it makes sense to trade him for more picks. The problem here lies is what is the best deal the team can get and that's a bit subjective. What actually would be an excellent trade for the team is a third rounder and a fifth rounder, possibly add on a sixth rounder. Another first rounder would be nice, but that's highly unlikely. Another second rounder would be great too, but that's also probably unlikely too. However, what the best deal is it's up to what head coach Ron Rivera and the front office thinks.
If there was any time to trade Williams it is now. He is still at a good age to be a solid offensive lineman and any team could use his services, especially the rebuilding sides who need a player like him on their offensive line to become playoff sides. Who to deal with is a good question, but the time is ripe to trade Williams especially with the draft on the horizon.
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