One of the disrupts in the Washington Redskins relationship with left tackle Trent Williams came last fall when he was placed on the Non-Football Injury list after ending his holdout just before the trade deadline. This move ended his season after the Pro-Bowler failed his physical because he was unable to comfortably wear a helmet due to the scar on his head where a cancerous growth was removed.
At the time, it was being reported that Williams was working to find a helmet that fits comfortably, but Team President Bruce Allen made the move to the NFI regardless.
Now, months after the fact and while playing for a new team — the San Francisco 49ers — Williams told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that he had returned to the team with a real intention to play in 2019.
“The competitive juices started to flow, so I was really prepared to make my return last year,” Williams said, via NBC Sports Washington. “I know all of the things that had went on and just being in that facility, being around teammates, being around the guys you fought with, and bled with for so many years. It was almost impossible for me to fight the urge not to just want to get back on the field.”
Things, of course, didn’t quite work out that way, as a game of chicken took place between player and front office members.
“I was literally waiting on my new helmet to come in,” he said. “I was getting ready to kind of gear up and it was going to be somewhat of a surprise to some, but I think for the people who know me best they know how competitive I am.
“I was put on NFI right before I could even get the helmet to get back out there,” Williams continued. “It was a bummer but figured it was just how it was supposed to work out.”
After that, things unraveled even more, and Williams was finally traded to the 49ers during the 2020 NFL Draft. Washington is now looking for a new LT, and Williams has landed with a Super Bowl contending team, playing under his old offensive coordinator, Kyle Shanahan. Hopefully, he is ablet o find the future he desires there, while the Redskins focus on the future they’re building with Ron Rivera right now.
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