Washington Agrees to Trade Trent Williams to 49ers
Washington has agreed to terms to trade left tackle Trent Williams to the 49ers, his agent Vincent Taylor confirmed Saturday.
"After nine years with [the] Washington Redskins, 119 starts and seven Pro Bowls, the time has come to part ways. Trent Williams is ready to get back to competing in the NFL and is glad to be a part of a great organization in the San Francisco 49ers," Taylor said in a statement.
The NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo were first to report the trade.
San Francisco will send a fifth-round pick this year and a 2021 third-round draft pick to Washington in exchange for Williams, according to NFL Network.
ESPN previously reported that the 49ers had "expressed interest" in Williams, but would likely wait to see if veteran Joe Staley plans to retire before taking action. A few hours after trading for Williams, Staley announced his retirement and cited health concerns as the reason for his decision.
Washington and the Vikings reportedly had previously discussed a possible trade for Williams for months, but the NFL Network reported Friday night that deal was "off the table" when Minnesota selected Boise State offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland at No. 58 overall.
Reports surfaced that the trade partners were informed Williams didn't want to play for the Vikings, but the left tackle shot down that rumor Saturday.
"No, that's not true," Williams told ESPN.
Taylor also released a statement Saturday morning to deny the rumor.
Williams held out during the 2019 offseason and the first half of the regular season due to a dispute with Washington's medical staff. When he returned to the team, he failed his physical after experiencing discomfort with his helmet stemming from offseason scalp surgery.
At the time, Williams said he had the procedure to remove a rare form of soft-tissue cancer that was weeks away from reaching his brain. He also said the team misdiagnosed the lump and left it untreated for nearly six years, adding that the mishandling of the incident sowed seeds of distrust between him and the franchise. He did not play a single snap last season and was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list in early November.
Amid tensions between Williams and Washington, his agent released a statement in March asking for him to be traded or released.
Williams has one year remaining on his current deal and is set to make $12.5 million in 2020. However, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports that the 49ers are expected to restructure the final year on Williams's contract.
