Bengals: Jonah Williams provides clarity on offseason trade request
The Cincinnati Bengals signing Orlando Brown Jr. was a surprise to everyone following the Bengals, especially for the guy who was impacted by the news the most.When the Bengals made their biggest move of the offseason, Jonah Williams found via the Apple News app on his phone. He never heard from the front office of […]
The Cincinnati Bengals signing Orlando Brown Jr. was a surprise to everyone following the Bengals, especially for the guy who was impacted by the news the most.
When the Bengals made their biggest move of the offseason, Jonah Williams found via the Apple News app on his phone. He never heard from the front office of the team, and he still hasn't.
Lack of communication from the top of the organization is what affected Williams the most. The 25-year old tackle was rehabbing his surgically repaired knee out in his home state of California, with his fiancée days away from giving birth to their child.
Williams promptly requested a trade from the team he believed to be on good terms with. Plans can change, and oftentimes players aren't privy to those developments. It is a business, and players can conduct business as they see fit as well.
"The main issue for me was the way that I found out, the way the communication happened," Williams explained, back in the facility for the first time all offseason. "The following day, my agent was calling the front office trying to get ahold of someone, and he just never got ahold of anyone and no one no one responded to us and I just didn't know what was going on. And I just wanted to hear from them.
"The frustrating thing is that I still haven't heard anything back. We had a request to trade via text."
Williams, who's entering the final year of his contract and is due nearly $13 million in guaranteed salary, has spent the last several months rehabbing his surgically repaired knee away from the team. And while he had heard from head coach Zac Taylor and offensive line coach Frank Pollack after some time, not getting word at all from ownership as a three-year starter is bizarre.
What's interesting to learn is while Williams has been a left tackle for several years, the idea of switching to the right side wasn't a factor into his contempt.
"It was never left tackle-right tackle," Williams said. "I know a lot of people made it out to be that, It wasn't that. You know, there's 64 tackle spots in the league to have any of them is a crazy, amazing opportunity that I'm super grateful for the chance. So the plan is play me at right tackle. I'm fired up to do it. Let's go like, I'm working my knee. I think I'm going to be cleared soon. I feel great moving around. And so that was never the issue."
The Bengals can still trade Williams this offseason if they so desire, but all indications point to seeing if he can win the right tackle battle vs. La'el Collins and Jackson Carman.
That's Williams' focus now, not dwelling on something he can't control.
"There's so many things to me that matter, that are important about this team and my teammates and in my personal life and my family, that it's just like I can move past it."
Featured image via © Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
