Hogs Haven
It’s been five years since Washington sent Trent Williams to the 49ers.
The Washington Commanders are one of the most exciting teams in the NFL, with an emerging young star at quarterback and a front office and coaching staff that finally seem to be making all the right moves. Unfortunately, you don’t have to go back very far to remember when that was not the norm for this franchise.
The 2025 season marks five years since a particularly pivotal trade for the NFC. I’m talking about Washington’s trade of Trent Williams to the San Francisco 49ers prior to the 2020 season. After Williams had a dispute with the team over health care and his contract, he didn't play during the 2019 season, going from the reserve list to the NFI list. A new regime led by Ron Rivera was unable, and to some observers, unwilling to salvage the relationship with the franchise. That put the Washington on the back foot from the very beginning, and made getting any plus value out of the Williams trade quite difficult to accomplish.
Now that five years have passed, we can take a more detailed look at how both Washington and San Francisco fared in this now infamous trade.
Washington received two picks from the Trent Williams trade. The team selected cornerback Benjamin St-Juste with the 2021 third-rounder, and offensive lineman Keith Ismael with the 2020 fifth-rounder.
St-Juste started 45 games during his four years in Washington, playing in 54 total. He racked up 206 tackles, one interception, 34 passes defended, and three sacks.
Ismael played sparingly in eight games in his rookie season. He was placed on the practice squad in his second season, but signed to the active roster after injuries. He started five games, playing in 10 total. He was released in September 2022.
After arriving in San Francisco, Trent Williams continued his dominant level of play well into his mid-30s. Williams was named to four-straight Pro Bowls and received three-straight All-Pro awards from 2021-2023. He failed to make the Pro Bowl for the first time in over a decade in 2024, in large part because he wound up missing seven games.
Williams was an outstanding addition to the 49ers offensive line, giving San Francisco arguably the best tackle in the NFL for several years. While Williams has struggled with injuries at times, missing at least two games every season in San Francisco, his play when healthy makes that easy to overlook.
There’s obviously more going on here than just a simple “player for picks” trade, as the drama surrounding Trent Williams and Washington had reached a boiling point the previous...
