The Washington Redskins are said to have lowered their asking price for All-Pro offensive lineman Trent Williams just before the trade deadline passed on Tuesday, but they were unable to work out a deal. If it was a first-round pick they were seeking in exchange for Williams, the Redskins appear to have botched the entire ordeal.
Williams was aggressively pursued by the Cleveland Browns in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but Washington repeatedly said he would not be traded. When the Redskins reportedly lowered the asking price to a second-round pick on Tuesday, it was too late. According to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports, the Browns were willing to give Washington a first-round pick at one point but pulled their offer.
.@CharlesRobinson on Yahoo! Sports NFL Podcast “The Cleveland #Browns are furious w/ the Washington Redskins over Trent Williams.” Says 6 wks ago, Redskins could’ve had 1st rd pk for Williams from CLE. WASH waited 6 wks, CLE basically said “kiss my ass, you’re not calling me now”
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) October 30, 2019
It’s unclear if Williams plans to play for Washington this year, but he eventually has to report in order to prevent his contract from tolling. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media was told he passed his physical on Wednesday and was expected to practice.
Williams very clearly wanted to be traded, as he is unhappy with the way the Redskins handled his health scare over the offseason, among other things. Washington is 1-7 and has never been anywhere near playoff contention this year, so not trading Williams for a first-round pick when they had the chance looks like an extremely poor decision.
