Report: Jay Gruden's firing doesn't bring Trent Williams any closer to ending holdout
Even with a leadership shakeup, the Washington Redskins are unlikely to see the return of Pro-Bowler Trent Williams any time soon.
According to a report from ESPN’s Dianna Russini, the firing of head coach Jay Gruden has not changed Williams’ calculus during his holdout, as he “doesn’t have plans of returning” to the team in the near future.
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Williams’ holdout began because he was upset after a benign tumor was removed from his head in the offseason. He felt that the team misdiagnosed the tumor, which has left him with a general distrust of the organization. Williams missed all of training camp and has not reported through five games.
It’s highly doubtful that Washington fired Gruden in an attempt to amend relations with Williams, but one would imagine that larger structural changes would be needed for Williams to want to remain with the organization.
Washington won’t trade Williams until the offseason
Despite an 0-5 start, Washington has resisted opportunities to trade Williams. The 31-year-old would likely land a massive haul, as nearly every contender could use help in pass protection, and Williams is one of three players — and the only offensive lineman — to make a Pro Bowl each of the last seven seasons.
Team president Bruce Allen broached this subject during a rare news conference after Gruden’s firing, and not much appeared to have changed.
“He is not here, you are very correct on that,” Allen said. “And really, there’s been no dialogue with any other team.”
Has Allen considered trading Williams if he won’t show up?
“No, not at this time.”
106.7 The Fan’s Craig Hoffman adds even more detail in a report, saying that the team would explore trading him after the season is over in January.
Williams needs to report soon for his season to count
One wrinkle in this holdout is that Williams is under contract for two more seasons at a total of $21.9 million. Money does not appear to be a motivating issue, as he’s been happy to swallow fines for not reporting, but continuing his holdout could make leaving Washington even harder.
Some expect Williams to report during the team’s bye in Week 10 because if he does not report by then, this season would not count towards his contract, and he’d remain under team control until at least 2021.
This technicality played out across the country, where running back Melvin Gordon ended his holdout with the Los Angeles Chargers in part to get credit for the final year of his contract.
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