The Washington Redskins have given Trent Williams their blessing to seek a trade, and it could be a matter of weeks, if not days before the seven-time Pro-Bowler is lifted out of Washington and placed on a new team. After about a year, this long saga between the two parties seems to be coming to an end.
But what does the next chapter hold? We know for the Redskins, they will be forced to fill a major hole at the LT position, likely doing so in free agency while also trying to draft and develop a young blocker. As for Williams, we know that it will be a trade that gets him out of Washington, but the question is where he goes.
In the days following the public trade announcement, several teams have popped up as potential trade destinations that are likely to make an offer for the 31-year-old LT. Here are our rankings of which path is most likely.
It should be noted that both the Arizona Cardinals and Houston Texans are said to have interest in trading for Williams. I’m not sure why. The Cardinals just handed a $45-million extension to their LT in February, and the Texans are less than a year removed from trading several draft picks for LT Laremy Tunsil, who is one of the better blockers in the NFL. Because of this, I did not rank either team below.
No. 5 —New England Patriots
The Patriots were said to have a lot of interest in Williams last season as they looked to bolster their offensive line ahead of Tom Brady’s last guaranteed season with the team. When Williams was being shopped ahead of the trade deadline, a report surfaced that the Patriots were offering a first-round pick for Trent, but that has since been vehemently refuted by New England. This time around, though, not much has changed, other than the potential offer. The Patriots still need a star left tackle, no matter who their starting QB is come September. They have Isaiah Wynn at the position now, but the young player has struggled to stay healthy so far in his career.
Would Bill Belicheck part with a draft pick in order to put a blue-chip piece on his offensive line? My guess is yes, giving Trent the instant chance to be in a position to contend for a title.