Bengals send Jonah Williams to Buccaneers in hypothetical trade proposal
Jonah Williams made his intentions clear to the Cincinnati Bengals this offseason -- He wants to be traded. It's hard to blame him, as his team did sign someone to do his job while flipping him to a position that won't make him as much money on the open market a year from now.
That being said, the Bengals don't have to honor Williams' wishes. They're on the hook for $12 million due to picking up Williams' fifth-year option a year ago and that alone is reason enough to start Williams on the right side of the line.
Bill Barnwell of ESPN came up with trade scenarios for every team in the draft and had the Bengals shipping Williams off to Tampa Bay while flipping first and third-round picks with the Bucs.
Bengals move up to No. 19 by trading Jonah Williams
I'll be honest here -- Any team willing to send a first-round pick to Cincinnati for Williams is crazy. I truthfully wouldn't send anything above a fourth-rounder for the former Alabama product but hey this is Barnwell's thing, so let's see what he had to say.
"Jumping from No. 28 to No. 19 would get them ahead of likely trade-down teams such as the Seahawks (No. 20), Ravens (22) and Vikings (23) to take their tackle. La'el Collins is under contract on the right side, but he could be a cap casualty if Cincinnati finds someone it likes. It would also move up 10 spots later in the draft. "
- Bill Barnwell
Obviously the Bengals would be thrilled to get this trade because they'd move up nine spots and could find their right tackle replacement if the board fell to them. If Bijan Robinson is still on the board, taking him at 19 would be a steal.
"The Buccaneers would be giving Williams a chance to restart his career on the left side of their line while allowing Tristan Wirfs to remain a dominant force on the right side. They would move down only nine spots in Round 1, allowing them to address their need at tight end or to trade down again to acquire more selections. This deal values Williams as being worth something close to the 65th pick in a typical draft, which feels right given his play a year ago and how much time is left on his deal."
- Bill Barnwell
Yeah this is certainly a good move for Williams, as he'd have a chance to play at his preferred position. I don't see the Buccaneers or anyone giving up a first-rounder for Williams though but if they did, maybe he'd end up being worth the trade for Tampa.
This is definitely an "out there" trade proposal from Barnwell but if Tampa becomes desperate enough, maybe they'd end up entertaining it. It'd be good for Cincinnati, that's for sure!