Redskins Place Trent Williams On Reserve/Non-Footnall Injury List

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like Trent Williams will never again take the field in a Washington Redskins uniform.

The team placed their star left tackle on the reserve/non-football injury list on Thursday, which ends a season that never really started. Williams reported to the team last Tuesday to remain eligible for the upcoming season and concluded a lengthy holdout that began in the spring.

Despite returning to the team, Williams failed his physical after experiencing discomfort with his helmet stemming from offseason scalp surgery. Williams, breaking his prolonged silence on the matter when he said he had the procedure to remove a rare form of soft-tissue cancer that was weeks away from reaching his brain.

Williams claimed the Redskins misdiagnosed the lump and left it untreated for nearly six years. He also said the mishandling of the incident sowed the seeds of distrust between him and the team that contributed to his holdout. In the wake of Williams’ statements to reporters, Washington asked for a review of his medical records. 

On Monday, Williams asked the NFL and the NFLPA do not pursue a planned investigation into the matter, as he is unhappy with information about his medical history and care being leaked to the public.

The Redskins had a roster exemption in place for Williams if he were to pass his physical, but the move to the reserve/NFI list means the left tackle cannot play in 2019-20. Due to the fact that he will not appear in a game this year, Washington does not have to pay the roughly $6 million left on Williams' contract this season.

Williams has one year remaining on his current deal and would make $12.5 million in 2020. He was slated to make $11 million this year before that total was halved due to the fines he accrued during his holdout. The two sides will continue to spar over his contract, particularly if the Redskins decide not to pay the $6 million or if he does not receive credit for this season.