Trent Williams finally got his wish and is longer a member of the Washington Redskins as the San Francisco 49ers have completed a trade to acquire the Pro Bowl left tackle, CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora has confirmed. The Niners are sending the No. 156 overall pick in the 2020 draft to Washington along with a 2021 third-rounder for his services.
This deal ends a long saga between Williams and the Redskins. The left tackle sat out the entire 2019 season after he claims Washington mishandled a medial issue. The distrust that was formed over that dispute led to Williams not playing another down for the Redskins and demanding a trade, which ended up being a long and drawn-out process.
Earlier in the 2020 draft, it looked like Williams was going to be dealt to the Minnesota Vikings, but that deal fell through. Now that he is heading to San Francisco and this ordeal is in the rearview mirror, Williams, who'll turn 32 in July, can focus on returning to the field and try to help the Niners protect quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo going forward.
As for how we see this deal shaking out, take a look at our grades below:
49ers receive:
49ers trade grade: A
The fact that San Francisco pulled the trigger on this move may be a strong indication that veteran left tackle Joe Staley is on the verge of walking away from the game. If that's the case, the 49ers have secured a heck of a replacement for the longtime veteran in Williams and did so at a relatively cheap cost.
They'll still need to pay him a lucrative contract at some point, but giving up a fifth-rounder and future third is pennies on the dollar for a player of Williams' caliber. While he missed the entire 2019 season over that dispute with the Redskins and may have some rust to shake off, Williams is a heck of a talent, being named to seven Pro Bowls. There is some risk involved here due to Williams missing an entire season and set to be 32-years old by the start of next season, but San Francisco should be thrilled with this acquisition.
He's also extremely familiar with the 49ers' operation as head coach Kyle Shanahan was his offensive coordinator in Washington for the first four years of his NFL career, so the transition may be pretty seamless.
Redskins trade grade: C-
This soap opera has been botched from the jump and it really isn't even the fault of the people that just traded Williams.
The prior medical staff is said to have misdiagnosed a cancerous growth in his head, which sparked the beginning of the end to his time in Washington. Once it was clear that Williams was never going to trust or play for the organization again, recently fired Redskins president Bruce Allen should have pulled the trigged on trade. Earlier in the process, Washington could have secured more premium selections than the compensation they received in this deal thanks to Williams' elite talent. Due to stubbornness, however, they kept the staring contest going.
They barely get a passing grade in this deal as they were able to at least get something in return for Williams, but this wasn't as great of a haul as it could/should have been.
