Redskins veteran tackle Trent Williams holding out of mandatory minicamp

The Redskins enter the 2019 offseason with looming questions on the offensive line, and the latest team development doesn’t help with matters.

The Washington Redskins kicked off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, drawing members of the team together, new and alike, to start building toward the 2019 regular season. The Redskins need their team at or near full strength to start the season, for numerous reasons. Thus, player absences at this stage are notable.

That said, most players showed up to attend minicamp at the scheduled time. Montae Nicholson was there, just weeks after being cleared of charges in an assault case, to win back a starting safety job. Josh Norman, the subject of financial speculation, was also there, as was veteran running back Adrian Peterson.

One Redskins veteran was not at minicamp, however. Former first-round pick and seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams stayed away. Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, Williams, who has two years left on his current contract, wants a new deal now that the offensive tackle market has shifted. Taylor Lewan is the latest tackle to reset the market, as he recently commanded an average annual value of $16 million (via OverTheCap.com) in a new deal with the Titans. It sounds as if the talks will start in that vicinity for Williams.

If the discussions surrounding the release of a veteran weren’t warranted earlier, they now are. Williams is absent from minicamp, and he likely won’t show up until this conflict is resolved, or at least until significant progress is made.

There’s a discussion to be had about whether Williams, who turns 31 years old later this offseason, and has been subjected to a significant number of pestering injuries over the past few years, is worth a blockbuster deal at this stage of his career. If the Redskins feel that he is, then they may have to cut a player or two to make his contract fit, even with a bit of fancy financial footwork.

Williams is a transcendent talent at tackle who’s consistently been in the top five at his position when healthy, but every asset depreciates over time, and Williams’ viability has been placed into question in recent years. Now, faced with the possibility of locking themselves into an even larger Williams deal, the Redskins have a decision to make. And while they deliberate, Williams will wait from afar.