RICHMOND, Va. — New Washington Redskins left tackle Donald Penn wanted to join a team that gave him a chance to start. So he reached out to a friend for advice: Trent Williams.
And Penn signed with the team from which Williams remains estranged.
Penn kept his conversation private, but his comments led to speculation about what that meant for Williams’ future in Washington. There doesn’t appear to be an end in sight in his holdout.
“Trent’s one of my good friends. I reached out to Trent before I signed and we had a good conversation,” Penn said. “We talked and we’re on the same page.
“It was a personal conversation between me and Trent. I’ll just leave it at that.”
The Redskins have several options regarding Williams, who has two years left on his contract. They could look to trade him if they think he’s serious about never playing here again. They could let it drag into the season, forcing him to either return or miss game checks. Williams has a base salary of $10.5 million so one check would be worth $617,647.
It’s unlikely that they would extend him considering his age (31) and injury history. They also know linebacker Ryan Kerrigan has two years left on his deal and likely would want an extension. The Redskins could guarantee some or all of Williams’ $12.5 million base salary in 2020. None of it is currently guaranteed.
Penn’s arrival doesn’t necessarily change the Redskins’ plans. But he does provide them quality insurance in case Williams doesn’t return. Penn also said the Redskins talked to him about filling the swing tackle role, which he would do if Williams does come back.
Penn, 36, first worked out for Washington on Friday, but returned to Los Angeles to “weigh my options” as other teams were interested. He signed with Washington knowing his family would stay in southern California. He said this would be his final season.
Penn, who made three Pro Bowls at left tackle, suffered a Lisfranc injury in December 2017 and was switched to right tackle near the end of training camp with Oakland a year ago.
“The main factor was playing left tackle again,” Penn said of joining Washington. “I reluctantly played right tackle last year, being a team player. But I’m a left tackle at heart. I wanted to go somewhere I had a chance to start and play left tackle.”