Since Trent Williams left Washington ahead of the 2020 NFL season, he has earned three trips to the Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro in each of the last two seasons for the San Francisco 49ers.
Williams, of course, was the No. 4 overall selection in the 2010 NFL draft by Washington, where he spent the first 10 seasons of his career. Things didn’t end well between Williams and Washington due to his season-long squabble with former team president Bruce Allen. Williams had a cancerous growth removed from his scalp ahead of his final season in Washington and couldn’t wear a helmet, forcing him to miss the 2019 season.
Now, after three seasons with the 49ers, Williams is playing at an elite level for one of the NFC’s best teams. San Francisco has been one game short of the Super Bowl in the past two seasons.
Could Williams finally be considering retirement after 13 NFL seasons [12 played]?
“It’s a long season,” Williams said, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. “And having two long seasons back-to-back, it does get pretty grueling for a 34-year-old guy like myself. I’ll be 35 when the season starts. You do kind of think about what’s life like after football. I’ve done this every year of my life since the second grade.”
For Washington fans, it’s hard to fathom that Williams will be 35 in 2023. Williams, along with Ryan Kerrigan, were Washington’s top stars for years, playing on multiple bad teams.
“You do get to that age, especially at the end of the year like this, as exhausting as it was,” Williams continued. “And still not getting quite where you want to be. I get it. You get to that age, But, honestly, I’m just taking it one day at time, and we’ll see how that goes going forward.”
It’s difficult to see Williams retiring this offseason, with so many having the lasting image of him slamming a Philadelphia player to the ground in frustration. However, if Williams did retire, ending your career by being named a first-team All-Pro selection for your final two seasons is a terrific way to go out.
