Amid the drama that’s engulfed Washington regarding its quarterbacks, coaches and mascot in recent years, some good news emerged from D.C. for a change, with left tackle Trent Williams agreeing on a contract extension, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (on Twitter).
Williams’ new deal will pay him $66MM over five years, with $43.5MM of that sum guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The former No. 4 overall pick’s guarantee on signing comes in at $32.5MM, per Rapoport (on Twitter).
The 27-year-old Oklahoma product took to Twitter himself to show appreciation for the massive deal and after being one of the last players on the old CBA’s generous rookie salary scale, Williams will continue to reap the rewards through his 32nd birthday.
This makes Williams the highest-paid tackle in terms of per-year wages, with Williams’ $13.2MM easily surpassing Tyron Smith‘s $12.2MM figure.
As part of the rookie deal he signed in 2010 as Washington’s first-round pick in that draft, Williams was already set to make $10MM+ in base salary, with a $14.25MM cap number before agreeing to this accord.
The team’s staring left tackle since the ’10 season, Williams ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 18th-best blind-side cog last season and as a top-20 tackle in 2012, but the leading advanced metrics site slotted the 315-pound blocker as its No. 1 tackle in 2013.
This contract also means only three ex-first-rounders — Sam Bradford, Eric Berry and Russell Okung — will enter this season on deals signed under the previous CBA that paid top picks exorbitant sums.