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Trent Williams

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Trent Williams
refer to caption
Williams in 2014
No. 71 – San Francisco 49ers
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1988-07-19) July 19, 1988 (age 36)
Longview, Texas
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:Longview
College:Oklahoma
NFL draft:2010 / round: 1 / pick: 4
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2020
Games played:134
Games started:133
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Trent Williams (born July 19, 1988) is an American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was recognized as an All-American, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins fourth overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. Williams is considered to be one of the best tackles in the league, making seven straight Pro Bowl appearances from 2012 to 2018.

In 2019, Williams held out the entire year with the Redskins due to contractual and personal grievances he had with the Redskins regarding a cancerous growth on his head that was later determined by private doctors to be life threatening. The standoff with the team eventually led to him being traded to the 49ers in 2020.

Early years

Born and raised in Longview, Texas, Williams attended Longview High School, where he played for the Longview Lobos high school football team and was teammates with Malcolm Kelly, Chris Ivory, and Robert Henson. Williams was a unanimous first-team all-district selection as a senior. Longview entered the 2005 UIL playoffs on a 10–0 season record, but lost 14–13 to Nick Florence's South Garland.[1] He was also on the track team as a shot putter. Considered a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Williams was listed as the No. 28 offensive guard prospect in the nation.[2] He chose Oklahoma over offers from Louisiana State, Oklahoma State, and Texas A&M.

College career

Williams attended the University of Oklahoma, and played for coach Bob Stoops's Oklahoma Sooners football team from 2006 to 2009. Playing as a true freshman, Williams became the starter at right tackle just before the Missouri game in late October 2006 after Branndon Braxton went down with a broken leg, then started the last six games of the season. Williams played 462 snaps, had 75 knockdowns, and was named to The Sporting News' Freshman All-America second team.

In his sophomore year, Williams saw action in all 14 games and had six starts at right tackle, sharing time with Branndon Braxton. As a junior in 2008, he started all 14 games, the first at left tackle and the remaining 13 at right tackle, and registered 131 knockdowns. He was part of a dominant 2008 Sooners offensive line that included Duke Robinson, Phil Loadholt, and allowed only 11 sacks all season, the third-lowest total of any team in the country. The two teams that finished above them (Air Force and Navy) combined to attempt 231 passes. Oklahoma attempted 476, and—featuring quarterback Sam Bradford and running back DeMarco Murray—became the highest-scoring team in the modern era (702 points).[3]

As the lone holdover from the 2008 offensive line, Williams was listed at No. 2 on Rivals.com′s 2009 preseason offensive tackle power ranking.[4] He was also named to the 2009 Outland Trophy watch list.[5] Despite missing the regular season finale due to injury, Williams led Oklahoma with 102 knockdown blocks and 885 plays, and was named an All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.[6]

Professional career

Williams was considered one of the best offensive tackles available in the 2010 NFL Draft,[7][8][9][10][11] and drew comparisons to Jammal Brown (who, coincidentally, would also join the Redskins that same offseason via trade).[12] According to NFL.com's Gil Brandt, "Williams will be a first-round pick and can be a long-time starter in the NFL".[13]

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 4+58 in
(1.95 m)
315 lb
(143 kg)
34+14 in
(0.87 m)
9+34 in
(0.25 m)
4.88 s 1.72 s 2.87 s 4.63 s 7.64 s 34+12 in
(0.88 m)
9 ft 5 in
(2.87 m)
23 reps
All values from NFL Combine[14]

Washington Redskins

Williams at Redskins training camp in 2011

Williams was drafted fourth overall by the Washington Redskins and agreed to a six-year, US$60 million contract on July 30, 2010.[15] In 2011, Williams was made an offensive co-captain along with veteran teammate Santana Moss.[16] In Week 14, Williams and teammate Fred Davis were suspended for four games after failing several drug tests.[17]

Williams suffered a bone bruise in his left foot during the first 2012 preseason game against the Buffalo Bills.[18] Despite this injury, he started in the next two preseason games and was fully healed by the season opener against the New Orleans Saints. By the start of the season, his teammates voted for him again to be the offensive team captain.[19] He suffered a right knee injury early in the Redskins' Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals. After getting an MRI exam the next day, it was reported that Williams had another bone bruise.[20] He was able to play in the next game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Despite playing injured throughout the season, Williams had his best performance in 2012 and was selected for the 2013 Pro Bowl but couldn't participate in the Pro Bowl due to an injury when a night club fight occurred.[21][22] After the Redskins' wild card playoff loss against the Seattle Seahawks on January 6, 2013, Williams struck Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman in the face. He was fined $7,875 for the incident.[23]

After the Week 11 game of the 2013 season, Williams accused umpire Roy Ellison of swearing at him during the game with his accusation supported by several of his teammates.[24][25] Ellison was in turn suspended by the NFL for one game.[26] Despite the Redskins having a bad year as a team, Williams was chosen as the team's only player on the 2014 Pro Bowl team.[27]

During the 2015 offseason, Williams lost nearly 30 pounds, going from a playing weight of roughly 345, to 318.[28] On August 29, 2015, he agreed to a five-year, $66 million contract extension with $43.25 million guaranteed.[29] On November 1, 2016, Williams was suspended four games for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.[30] Despite missing the games, Williams was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl, was first-team All-Pro for the first time. Williams started 10 games in 2017 while dealing with a knee injury for most of the season, and was placed on injured reserve on December 22, 2017.[31] Despite the injury, Williams was named to his sixth straight Pro Bowl.[32][33]

In April 2019, it was reported that Williams had a surgical procedure done to remove a growth from his head that was diagnosed as dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), a type of cancer. The growth was first noticed in 2013, with him claiming that the Redskins medical staff told him it was not serious at the time.[34][35] He did not report to the team's mandatory mini-camp, and reportedly demanded to be released or traded over how the team's medical staff handled the situation back then.[36] On July 27, 2019, the Redskins placed Williams on the team's reserve/did not report list.[37] After the Redskins failed to trade him before the trade deadline, he was reinstated on October 30, 2019.[38][39] However, Williams failed to pass a physical exam, as he experienced discomfort with his helmet due to his scalp having postsurgical soreness, which resulted in the Redskins placing him on the non-football injury list.[40] In March 2020, he and his agent were granted permission to seek a trade to another team.[41]

San Francisco 49ers

On April 25, 2020, Williams was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.[42] The trade reunited Williams with San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan, who previously held an offensive coordinator position with the Washington Redskins. Williams was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list by the team on November 4, 2020,[43] and activated two days later.[44] He was placed back on the COVID-19 list on November 20,[45] and activated again on November 28.[46] On January 1, 2021, Williams was placed on injured reserve after suffering an elbow injury against the Arizona Cardinals in the previous week.[47] Williams was elected to his eighth Pro Bowl after posting a 91.9 PFF grade, which ranked first at his position in 2020.[48]

On March 17, 2021, Williams signed a six-year, $138.06 million contract extension with the 49ers, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL.[49]

Personal life

Williams is friends with running back Adrian Peterson.[50] The two were teammates at the University of Oklahoma and for the Redskins in the late 2010s.[51] Williams and Peterson also co-own a gym in Houston.[52]

Williams' nickname is "Silverback", named after the male gorilla. Williams has a large gorilla tattoo on his back and owns gorilla art and an expensive bejeweled gorilla keychain. At the 2010 NFL Draft, he was introduced by league commissioner Roger Goodell with the moniker, after Williams dared Goodell to do it.[53]

References

  1. ^ "South Garland Stuns, Defeats Top Ranked Longview Lobos". November 12, 2005.
  2. ^ "Rivals.com Offensive guards 2006", Rivals.com, January 30, 2006
  3. ^ Staples, Andy (January 7, 2009), "Oklahoma O-line is made up of five fast, immovable men", Sports Illustrated
  4. ^ Buchanan, Olin; Dienhart, Tom; Fox, David; Huguenin, Mike; Megargee, Steve (August 22, 2009), "Preseason offensive tackle power rankings", Rivals.com
  5. ^ Richardson, Steve (August 11, 2009), 2009 Outland Trophy Watch List Announced, Football Writers Association of America
  6. ^ "Williams Named AFCA All-American", SoonerSports.com, December 3, 2009
  7. ^ Prisco, Pete (April 27, 2009), "Prisco's 2010 draft preview: QB will land No. 1 spot", CBSSports.com
  8. ^ Rang, Rob (July 10, 2009), "Top 32 seniors: Top heavy with the heftier prospects", NFLDraftScout.com
  9. ^ Cooney, Frank (May 11, 2009), "Who's next? Looking ahead to the best of the 2010 draft class", USA Today
  10. ^ Brooks, Bucky, "Never too soon to look at top prospects for next year's draft", NFL.com, archived from the original on August 17, 2009, If he can display the footwork and lateral quickness to handle elite pass rushers, he could make a strong case for being the top tackle taken in next year's draft.
  11. ^ "NFL Draft - 2010 OT Draft Prospects", CBSSports.com
  12. ^ "NFL Draft Profile: Trent Williams", CBSSports.com
  13. ^ Brandt, Gil, "Top offensive tackle prospects for 2010 hail from the Big 12", NFL.com
  14. ^ "Trent Williams Combine Profile", NFL.com, retrieved February 27, 2010.
  15. ^ "Redskins give No. 4 overall pick Williams a six-year, $60M deal", NFL.com, July 30, 2010.
  16. ^ "Losing Redskins need better example from captains". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
  17. ^ "NFL suspends Redskins’ Trent Williams, Fred Davis", Washingtonpost.com, December 6, 2011.
  18. ^ Jones, Mike (August 11, 2012). "Redskins dealing with more injuries on the offensive line". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved August 11, 2012.
  19. ^ Jones, Mike (October 4, 2012). "Trent Williams, Fred Davis earn back Redskins teammates' trust". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved October 6, 2012.
  20. ^ Jones, Mike (September 24, 2012). "Trent Williams has a bone bruise in his right knee". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved September 27, 2012.
  21. ^ Tinsman, Brian (December 26, 2012). "Three Redskins Selected To 2013 Pro Bowl". Redskins.com. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  22. ^ Tinsman, Brian (December 29, 2012). "Williams Now Among NFL's Elite Left Tackles". Redskins.com. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
  23. ^ Brinson, Will (January 11, 2013). "Trent Williams fined $7,875 for hitting Richard Sherman in the face". cbssports.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  24. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (November 17, 2013). "Redskins' Trent Williams says official cursed at him". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  25. ^ McNally, Brian (November 17, 2013). "Redskins notes: Trent Williams claims umpire cursed at him during game". WashingtonTimes.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  26. ^ Jones, Mike (November 22, 2013). "NFL umpire Roy Ellison suspended for incident with Redskins' lineman Trent Williams". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
  27. ^ Maske, Mark (December 27, 2013). "Trent Williams is Redskins' lone Pro Bowl selection". WashingtonPost.com. Retrieved January 14, 2014.
  28. ^ Clarke, Liz. "The weighting game: Trent Williams loses 27 pounds, Niles Paul gains it, to gird for the season". Washington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2015.
  29. ^ Orr, Conor (August 29, 2015). "Trent Williams, Redskins agree to record extension". NFL.com. Retrieved August 29, 2015.
  30. ^ Shook, Nick (November 1, 2016). "Redskin's Trent Williams Suspended Four Games". NFL.com. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  31. ^ Czarda, Stephen (December 22, 2017). "Redskins Place Trent Williams On Injured Reserve, Sign Dare Ogunbowale". Redskins.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017.
  32. ^ "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  33. ^ Czarda, Stephen. "Trent Williams Named To 'Top 100 Players' List For Sixth Straight Year". Redskins.com. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
  34. ^ Finlay, JP (April 1, 2019). "He's fine now, but at one point, Trent Williams was dealing with a reportedly "very serious" medical issue". NBCSports.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  35. ^ Neel, Zachary (October 31, 2019). "Trent Williams says the growth on his head was cancerous; 'lost all trust' with Redskins". USAToday.com. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
  36. ^ Smith, Michael (June 5, 2019). "Report: Trent Williams wants out of Washington over medical situation". NBCSports.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  37. ^ Stackpole, Kyle (July 27, 2019). "Redskins Sign OL Corey Robinson, Place OL Trent Williams On Reserve/Did Not Report List". Redskins.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  38. ^ "Trent Williams Reports To Redskins, Granted Roster Exemption". Redskins.com. October 30, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
  39. ^ Patra, Kevin. "Around the NFL Writer". NFL.com.
  40. ^ "Redskins put Trent Williams on non-football injury list". NFL. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  41. ^ Keim, John. "Washington Redskins to let Trent Williams seek trade". ESPN. Retrieved March 9, 2020.
  42. ^ Keim, John; Wagoner, Nick. "Redskins trade OT Trent Williams to 49ers for pair of NFL draft picks". ESPN. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  43. ^ "49ers Place Three on Reserve/COVID-19 List". 49ers.com. November 4, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  44. ^ "49ers Activate Four From Reserve/COVID-19 List". 49ers.com. November 6, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2020.
  45. ^ Alper, Josh (November 20, 2020). "49ers put Brandon Aiyuk, Trent Williams on COVID-19 list". NBCSports.com. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  46. ^ Madson, Kyle (November 28, 2020). "49ers roster moves: LT Trent Williams 1 of 2 taken off COVID-19 list". USAToday.com. Retrieved December 27, 2020.
  47. ^ "49ers Announce Roster Moves". 49ers.com. January 1, 2021. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
  48. ^ Michael, Baca. "Trent Williams re-signs with 49ers on historic six-year, $138.06 million deal". NFL.com. National Football League. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  49. ^ Baca, Michael (March 17, 2021). "Trent Williams re-signs with 49ers on historic six-year, $138.06 million deal". NFL.com.
  50. ^ Paras, Matthew (August 19, 2018). "Williams vouches for Adrian Peterson: 'Hasn't slowed a step'". WashingtonTimes.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  51. ^ Earls, Andre (August 22, 2018). "Trent Williams Wants To Show How Good Adrian Peterson Still Is On A Football Field". Redskins.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  52. ^ Wilson, Aaron (July 21, 2016). "NFL players Adrian Peterson, Trent Williams open O Athletik gym in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  53. ^ "The story behind Trent Williams' nickname and Roger Goodell's introduction". The Washington Post.