The Washington Commanders head to San Francisco for Monday Night Football with plenty of familiar faces on the other sideline, but Trent Williams may have added the sharpest edge of all.
Williams spent nine seasons in Washington before the team traded him to the 49ers after an ugly dispute involving the team’s medical staff and ownership. Since then, he’s built his reputation in San Francisco into that of a future Pro Football Hall of Famer and one of the greatest left tackles to ever play the position.
He also doesn’t seem interested in revisiting old emotions.
Asked whether he’d have any mixed feelings playing Washington after spending the first nine years of his career there, Williams said, “Sometimes I forget that I even played there. … I’ve (spent almost) as much time here as I did there.”
That’s the kind of quote that lands hard in Washington, especially with the Commanders looking for something to hang onto after last week’s brutal overtime ending against the New York Giants. Whether Williams meant it as a shot or just a sign that he’s moved on, it gives Washington extra bulletin-board material heading into prime time.
Of course, getting after Williams is easier said than done. Even at 38, he’s still operating at a Pro Bowl level, and slowing him down will be a major challenge for the Commanders’ pass rush. Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson will have their hands full trying to make his night memorable.
There’s also the lingering reality of why Williams’ time in Washington ended the way it did. The team mishandled a cancerous growth in his head, a situation that could have had serious consequences beyond football. That makes the whole episode hard to separate from the larger story, even if the trade ultimately worked out far better for Williams than it did for Washington.
Williams was still one of the best players to wear a Washington uniform since the turn of the century. He dominated there the same way he has in San Francisco; the difference is that team success never gave him the All-Pro recognition his play deserved.
So now the Commanders return to Levi’s Stadium with an old wound reopened and a chance to answer on the field. If they want to quiet the noise, they’ll have to do it by pulling off the upset in front of the entire NFL world.
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