It’s official: Trent Williams is available to play for any team he chooses. The soon to be 33-year old offensive tackle will command the biggest salary of any o lineman in free agency.
The Chiefs have limited money, but that certainly didn’t seem to stop them last year when they wanted to lock down the franchise QB in Patrick Mahomes and make DT Chris Jones the second-highest paid in the league.
With a few contracts still on the table for restructure, the Chiefs could certainly make Williams an offer he couldn’t refuse. The question comes down to whether or not Williams wants to be in the running for a Super Bowl, and whether or not the Chiefs are willing to pay Williams the money he commands in the free agency market.
Turning 33 in July, for the contract to make sense for the Chiefs it would have to be on the shorter side of the spectrum, four years maximum, and even that seems a little long.
That could be the type of length Williams wants, and he is holding all the chips being the most coveted O lineman available this offseason. He is the most coveted lineman in the league for good reason too.
The 4thoverall pick in the 2010 draft quickly made a name for himself with the Washington Football Team, being selected for the Pro Bowl 8 times in 10 seasons. Not a bad ratio; when Williams plays, he is pretty much guaranteed to be selected to the Pro Bowl.
The only times he wasn’t selected was when he was injured, and Washington team doctors were trying to kill him by rushing him back onto the field, which ultimately led to his departure from Washington to the sunny shores of the Bay Area. His play didn’t fall off with the coastal move either. By all accounts, he was happy in San Francisco. He just wanted to see what his value was on the open market.
With the addition of Patriots interior O lineman Joe Thuney for 5 years, $80 Million, the Chiefs have some serious contracts to restructure if they want to be able to make a serious offer at Williams. He is looking at making around $20 million a season, which if the Chiefs can find a way to restructure Travis Kelce, and restructure and possibly extend Tyrann Mathieu to name a couple, that could free up enough money for the Chiefs to be in the ballpark and make a viable offer to Williams. Thuney himself has given up just three sacks in three years, he and Williams combined would make a solid wall in front of Mahomes, preventing any mishaps like the Super Bowl from happening again.
In the end, it comes down to what Trent Williams wants. Does he wants to win, and protect the best passer in the league and win a ton of games doing so? Or is he out for that retirement safety money? If winning is what he wants, then KC is the thinking man’s move. We might not be able to offer him the most money, but we can offer something that most competitors value more than money. A shot at being a champ. Only time will tell what Williams is motivated by.
