Trent Williams won’t need a reminder Monday night about who drafted him. He’s just not sure he’d call it front of mind anymore.
The 49ers left tackle, set to line up against Washington for the first time in years, offered a blunt take on his old team ahead of San Francisco’s matchup with the Commanders. Williams said he has spent so much time in the Bay Area that his Washington years can almost feel distant.
"Sometimes I forget that I even played there," Williams said. "I've spent almost as much time here as I did there."
That says a lot about where Williams is in his career now. He entered the league as the fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft after starring at Oklahoma, then spent 10 seasons in Washington and built a decorated run there. He appeared in 120 games for the franchise and piled up seven straight Pro Bowl selections from 2012 to 2019, while also earning second-team All-Pro honors in 2015.
His exit from Washington was anything but smooth. Williams sat out the 2019 season amid a dispute with the team’s medical staff over a cancer diagnosis, then was traded to San Francisco in 2020.
The move worked out well for both sides, and Williams has since become a foundational piece of the 49ers’ offensive line. He’s earned three straight first-team All-Pro nods from 2021 to 2023.
The timing of the reunion comes with both teams trying to navigate very different early-season paths. San Francisco enters Monday night at 5-0 after a 32-29 win over the defending champion Seahawks last week, while Washington sits at 1-3-1 after a 27-27 overtime tie with the Giants.
Injuries have shaped the conversation around both clubs heading into the game. The 49ers are expected to be without Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, with Mike Evans potentially out as well. Washington will be missing top running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt, along with several other players.
Williams’ comments may read as a sharp little jab, but the broader picture is less dramatic than that. He still has affection for Washington and its fan base. Even so, the fact that he’s now been in San Francisco nearly as long as he spent in Washington makes Monday’s matchup feel a little different - and a little more personal.
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Trent Williams is set to line up against the franchise where he spent nine seasons, and the reunion has all the ingredients for a little extra edge on Monday Night Football. The San Francisco left tackle was once one of Washington's cornerstone players before his departure reshaped the conversation around both sides, and his comments since then have only reinforced how far removed that relationship has become.
For Washington, the matchup offers more than a chance to test itself against one of the league's best blindside protectors. It also brings back a player whose exit still lingers in the background whenever these teams cross paths, giving the Commanders a little added incentive to make sure the night is remembered for what happens on the field rather than the old dispute off it. [Read more 🡒]
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Washington also has a broader injury picture to manage, with multiple other players on the report either questionable or already ruled out. The timing only adds to the stakes, since the Commanders go into a break right after Mondays game, giving the team an obvious reason to be careful with anyone they think could use the extra rest before the next stretch of the season. [Read more 🡒]