Following their placement of left tackle Trent Williams on the non-football injury list, the Washington Redskins are opting out of paying the remaining $5.1 million on his 2019 contract, according to Adam Schefter and Field Yates of ESPN.
Washington's decision to do so is voluntary. They can do so within their rights; however, it is not considered to be the norm. Usually, when a player is placed on the NFI list, they recollect some portion of their salary. In the nation's capital, that is not the case. They did pay Williams last week after he returned to the team. In the process, he revealed a cancer diagnosis that played a part in his lengthy holdout and disgruntlement with the team.
Williams, 31, has one-year left on his contract. A seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle; many teams could use his services. He revealed to Mike Jones of USA Today that he is keen on playing again, just not with Washington.
“I feel like everything has run its course,” Williams said. “I mean, I do want to play football still and I’m not a free agent until after the 2020 season, so who knows. But the bridge has definitely been burned, and any efforts now, basically are, in my opinion, pretty much just CYA.”
As Williams said, the bridge has burned between the two. The left tackle does not feel as if he trusts the team. Despite efforts to be traded, they did not do so. Not paying his salary is just another reason why he won't be back.