Browns Reportedly 'Furious' With Redskins Over Failed Trent Williams Trade Talks
By Jerry Trotta
The NFL's trade deadline came and went on Tuesday without any blockbuster trades to speak of. Heck, the rumors that surfaced were almost more compelling than the lone trade that formulated -- Aqib Talib being dealt from the Rams to the Dolphins in a salary dump.
One of those aforementioned rumors linked Washington Redskins All-Pro left tackle Trent Williams with the Cleveland Browns, a team that, of course, is eternally desperate for offensive line help.
As we know, both sides weren't able to reach an agreement, but the Browns are reportedly incensed with how the Redskins braintrust handled talks, claiming that they had a settlement in place for Williams over a month ago.
.@CharlesRobinson on Yahoo! Sports NFL Podcast “The Cleveland #Browns are furious w/ the Washington Redskins over Trent Williams.” Says 6 wks ago, Redskins could’ve had 1st rd pk for Williams from CLE. WASH waited 6 wks, CLE basically said “kiss my ass, you’re not calling me now”
— Keith Britton (@KeithBritton86) October 30, 2019
That pretty much sums up the dysfunction that owner Dan Snyder and president Bruce Allen have personified during their time together in the nation's capital.
Washington is in the midst of an apparent rebuild, but Snyder and Allen remained insistent on keeping Williams around, despite the fact that he didn't even report to the team until this week.
And guess what? He STILL doesn't plan on playing this year. The seven-time Pro Bower is likely just reporting to claim the money remaining on his contract for this season.
Sources: The #Redskins are now open to dealing star LT Trent Williams. They have begun the process of looking at potential suitors, and the #Browns have been one. Unclear how high they set the asking price, but they’ll at least listen.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2019
The Redskins had the prefect opportunity to get a haul of picks in return for a player who wants nothing to do with their franchise.
Their rebuild could have been ignited by offloading Williams, but they squandered the opportunity to do so by holding onto him for WEEKS when the Browns had a first-rounder (and potentially more) on the table.
Cleveland, like any team trying to do business with Snyder and Allen in the past, ended up furious. If you're surprised by this news, you clearly haven't been paying attention.