Talk about a roller-coaster 24 hours for Trent Williams, huh?
In the early morning hours on Thursday, the Washington Redskins’ left tackle made some waves on social media when he posted a semi-cryptic message to his Instagram story that seemed to signal that he knew something that fans didn’t. Many took this to mean that he would soon be traded away from the Redskins, something seemingly everyone who has an opinion on the situation wants at this point.
As the world was getting prepared for the 2020 NFL Draft to start on Thursday night, rumors started to swirl about Williams’ potential departure, with teams like the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers being thrown out as potential landing spots for the seven-time Pro-Bowler. If you were to take the pulse of the room at 7:59 p.m. ET, I bet you about 90% of Redskins fans would have told you that they felt confident Williams would be traded within the next 24 hours.
If you were to check that pulse again now, less than 12 hours later? That confidence level has dropped significantly, and it’s now become a question of who in the NFL wants Williams anymore?
So what happened during that time? Well, it started with the 10th pick in the draft, when the Browns selected Alabama OT Jedrick Wills, removing their name from the Trent Williams lottery. Then, a pick later, the Jets drafted Louisville’s OT Mekhi Becton with the 11th pick. At No. 13, the Bucs drafted Iowa LT Tristan Wirfs, and then at No. 18, Miami took USC OT Austin Jackson. And just like that, four of the five teams who may have had an interest in trading for Williams found themselves with future answers at that position. The only team remaining on that list is the Vikings, and while they may have been the least likely team to trade for him earlier in the day, their massive amount of draft capital — along with a lack of another bidder — has vaulted them into first place.
This really could end soon or just continue. Skins will hold firm for an asking price. Or, at least, don't want to just give him away now. So willing to wait. Not a distraction; nobody's in the building now anyway and might not be for months.
— John Keim (@john_keim) April 24, 2020
So where do the Redskins go from here? According to ESPN’s John Keim, there are reportedly still three teams who have shown interest in Williams, with the Vikings being one of them. The other two teams are unknown as of now, but it could viably be any team in the NFL when you consider that Thursday’s lack of action likely caused Williams’ value to tank. It is hard to imagine the Redskins will receive a second- or third-round pick in return for the veteran LT anymore, and they may have to settle for a mid-rounder at best. There isn’t a team in the NFL who wouldn’t give a fourth-round pick up for a player like Trent Williams.
So will this all come to an end on Friday at long last? It’s possible, but no longer probable. Will it drag on through another offseason and potentially result in another holdout? We can no longer say it’s out of the question. As has been the case with Trent for the past year, something will happen when it happens, and we have to be patient until then. It’s hard to predict when a trade will take place in the NFL, but the Redskins will keep their phone lines open until it does.
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