The Washington Redskins had been trying to trade Trent Williams for months before finally getting a deal done during the draft. The disgruntled star left tackle ended up going to the San Francisco 49ers for a deal that was well below market value for a player of his caliber.
Now comes a quote from Ron Rivera that shows just how awful the situation was handled before he arrived on the scene.
The Redskins turned down a first-round pick for Trent Williams
This week, Rivera divulged information that is truly shocking.
“There was an opportunity, from what I was told, that last year just before the trade deadline he was worth a first-round pick. But, for whatever reason, the deal was never done,” Rivera said Wednesday on The Kevin Sheehan Show.
In the end, Washington settled for two mid-round draft picks — a third-rounder and a fifth-rounder — in exchange for the seven-time Pro Bowler.
Bruce Allen is to blame
This truly reflects the dysfunction that defined this franchise during the Bruce Allen era. The former team president was jettisoned when Rivera came on board, but not before even more damage could be done.
It had been reported last season that Washington had some nice offers for Williams, but there was a sense that Allen wanted to spite the star left tackle more than he wanted to get proper compensation in a trade.
That seems to have been the case. That turned out to be great news for the 49ers, who landed one of the game’s best left tackles on the cheap. But it certainly hurt Washington’s chances at adding another impact rookie during this year’s draft.