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Trent Williams    

All-Pro Offensive Lineman for the San Francisco 49ers; Cancer Survivor

Trent Williams is an American football offensive tackle for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, where he was recognized as an All-American, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins fourth overall in the 2010 NFL Draft. Williams is considered to be one of the best tackles in the league, making seven straight Pro Bowl appearances from 2012 to 2018 and adding another in 2020 and 2021.

In 2019, Williams held out the entire year with the Redskins due to contractual and personal grievances he had with the Redskins regarding a cancerous growth on his head that was later determined by private doctors to be life threatening. The standoff with the team eventually led to him being traded to the 49ers in 2020.

In April 2019, it was reported that Williams had a surgical procedure done to remove a growth from his head that was diagnosed as dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), a type of cancer. The growth was first noticed in 2013, with him claiming that the Redskins medical staff told him it was not serious at the time. He did not report to the team's mandatory mini-camp, and reportedly demanded to be released or traded over how the team's medical staff handled the situation back then.

On July 27, 2019, the Redskins placed Williams on the team's reserve/did not report list. After the Redskins failed to trade him before the trade deadline, he was reinstated on October 30, 2019. However, Williams failed to pass a physical exam, as he experienced discomfort with his helmet due to his scalp having postsurgical soreness, which resulted in the Redskins placing him on the non-football injury list. In March 2020, he and his agent were granted permission to seek a trade to another team.

On April 25, 2020, Williams was traded to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft and a third-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. The trade reunited Williams with San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan, who previously held an offensive coordinator position with the Washington Redskins. Williams was elected to his eighth Pro Bowl after posting a 91.9 PFF grade, which ranked first at his position in 2020. On March 23, 2021, Williams signed a six-year, $138.06 million contract extension with the 49ers, making him the highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL. His contract includes $55.10 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $30.10 million. He was selected to his ninth Pro Bowl that season.

Williams is the subject of a documentary called "SILVERBACK," which debuted in December 2021 and covered his comeback from a life-threatening sarcoma on his scalp.

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