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.
Original terms of the 2020 Trent Williams trade
- Washington receives: 2021 third-round pick (74), 2020 fifth-round pick (156)
- 49ers receive: OT Trent Williams
Who did Washington select with the picks from the Trent Williams 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.
How was Trent Williams’ performance for the 49ers?
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.
Who won the Trent Williams trade between Washington and the 49ers?
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 season and keeping him around was completely off the table. That being said, it’s pretty obvious that Washington handled this poorly and probably could’ve improved their return for Williams if they hadn’t let the situation get so bad. Instead, they had to settle for below market value for Williams.
While Washington did manage to get a starter out of the deal in Benjamin St-Juste, he never rose to the level of an impact player. Keith Ismael did make the roster and provide some depth, but only stuck with the team for two seasons. Meanwhile, the 49ers got a discount on one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL and were rewarded with some of the most dominant years of Trent Williams’ career.
While this wasn’t really a situation that set Washington up for success, it’s clear that the 49ers emerged as the dominant winner in this particular trade.
WINNER: 49ers