3 Potential NFL trades to dump contracts in 2020 offseason
3. Raiders unload Tyrell Williams
The Las Vegas Raiders attempted to reshape their offense in the 2019 offseason, adding players like Josh Jacobs, Antonio Brown and Hunter Renfrow to their arsenal in order to improve from their standing as the fifth lowest-scoring unit in 2018.
One of their more expensive signings was former Los Angeles Charger Tyrell Williams, who had been a solid deep threat for Anthony Lynn’s offense. Williams totaled 41 receptions for 653 yards and five touchdowns as the third option in the Chargers offense, playing behind Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.
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The Raiders signed Williams to a four-year, $44.3 million ($22 million guaranteed) deal in 2019 with the expectation that he would drastically improve when given a full-time role as the WR2 in the Raiders offense. When Brown was jettisoned from the team in August, Williams was expected to take Brown’s role as the team’s top wideout and potentially become a 1,000-yard wide receiver.
Given Williams was earning the 19th highest annual salary among wide receivers, his production was expected to see a commensurate jump. Unfortunately, his numbers barely changed. Williams caught one more ball for two less yards and one more touchdown than he did the prior year. While he did miss several games in 2019, he still finished drastically below expectations.
With the Raiders reportedly trying to lure Tom Brady to Las Vegas with a two-year, $60 million contract, they may need to part with the underperforming receiver in order to create more cap space. Currently, Williams has three years and $34 million left on his contract, with an $11.1 million cap hit in 2020.
If the Raiders cut Williams, they will only save $0.1 million in cap space; if they trade him, they will save $11.1 million in cap space. Given the Raiders currently have $52 million available to spend and need to complement the roster in order to appeal to Brady’s wishes, trading Williams would be a savvy move.
The 2020 draft class is incredibly deep at wide receiver and the Raiders have two first-round picks they could use to replace Williams, so trading away his unfavorable contract could be a boon for Las Vegas. The Indianapolis Colts may be a viable trade target, as they have $86 million in cap space and could use a large outside receiver to replace their impending free agent Devin Funchess, who missed all of 2019 with an injury.
The Colts would get a solid No. 3 wide receiver and a small piece of draft compensation, while the Raiders would build up cap space to pursue Brady and any free agent weapons he desires. Even if Brady does not join Las Vegas, getting Williams’ contract off of the books for a 7th round pick may be a worthwhile price to pay.