All I Know Is Nobody Knows Anything

August 2, 2019

by Eric Hill

Here we are in early August, in our second week of Redskins training camp and Trent Williams is still missing. We have heard this week that it’s about money, that it’s not about money, that Trent is angry with the training staff, that Jay Gruden expects him to arrive any second and that the Redskins are exploring trade options.  Rumors are flying around like Timex Social Club is opening for Fleetwood Mac, but that’s all they are: Rumors.

Here’s what we know: Trent Williams had a medical procedure to remove a growth from his head earlier this year and he hasn’t reported to Redskins Park since.  We also know that there are lesser offensive tackles now making more money than him. That’s it. Those two facts are the jumping off point for endless speculation from fans and media alike, and if there’s anything fans and media enjoy, it’s endless speculation.

Deductive reasoning tells us that the fact Williams isn’t in Richmond indicates he isn’t happy with his current situation. This is the one speculative point that everyone seems to agree on. But what is he unhappy about and what can be done, if anything, to make him less unhappy?

Among league insiders and beat reporters, there seem to be two camps emerging: The “Sources Close To Williams” crowd and the “Sources Close To The Team” crowd. The “Williams” crowd is telling us that irreparable damage has been done and Williams wants out.  The Team crowd indicates this will be resolved with more money, as Williams is entering the non-guaranteed years of his current deal.

So, what is really going on here?  Who knows? If he’s angry at the medical staff, nobody outside of Williams and the team know what the growth was, when it was found or what he was told by the medical staff.  If’ it’s about the money, we don’t know if he wants fully guaranteed salary, additional years or both. Ok, it’s probably both, but we still don’t know that.

As an uninformed fan with Twitter being the closest thing I have to a source, I’ll float a third possibility here: Maybe Trent just doesn’t want to be at training camp. He’s a 10-year veteran with a history of injury.  He’s also perennially one of the best at his position.  Maybe he values the time off more than the money he’s paying in fines for not being there.  If he’s on the week one roster, his $11M salary becomes fully guaranteed and if he’s not then he loses around $700,000 per week. Maybe he’s just forgoing relative chump change to enjoy his extended vacation while preparing to return to the team in September, when the money gets real.

You can call my theory crazy, but it’s no less informed than what 95% of what’s being reported.

Maybe Williams is angry and really wants the entire medical staff fired, or is saying that to force his way out of DC. Maybe the team is exploring trade options (I’d ask for an absolute haul if that were the case).  Maybe Trent is just hanging out waiting for the season to start. We simply don’t know.

Trent isn’t talking and the team has no reason to tell us what’s really going on.  This will all sort itself out in the coming weeks but until then, all we have are rumors.