Why didn’t the Vikings end up landing Trent Williams from the Redskins?

Williams says no thanks to Minnesota

The Vikings were apparently close to acquiring the left tackle on Friday, but Williams stopped it from happening because he reportedly didn’t want to play in the Twin Cities according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

Shortly after this report was made public, however, Williams and his agent came out and denied there being any truth to him shutting down a potential trade to Minnesota.

Still, the Vikings were clearly getting tired of waiting on the Redskins to make up their mind. So on Friday, Minnesota decided to use a second-round pick on former Boise State offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland, which was reportedly their way of ending their pursuit of acquiring Williams according to NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.

Then shortly before the start of the final afternoon of the 2020 NFL Draft on Saturday, the 49ers were able to acquire the Washington left tackle for a 2020 fifth-round pick and a third-round selection in 2021.

It’s hard to imagine the Vikings weren’t willing to part ways with the compensation that the Redskins ultimately agreed to. So maybe Williams actually did play a part in Washington not agreeing to a deal with Minnesota.