Cincinnati Bengals offensive tackle Jonah Willaims has requested a trade after the team signed Orlando Brown in free agency.
The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, via Williams’ agent, Ryan Tollner.
Cincinnati signed Brown to the mega-deal on the first day of free agency and will play him at left tackle. The working theory was the Bengals would move Williams to right tackle, where La’el Collins currently rehabs from injury and is a cut candidate.
Williams, Cincinnati’s first-round pick at No. 11 overall in 2019, has one year left on his rookie contract and has been against moving out of left tackle in the past.
Cincinnati doesn’t have to honor the trade request, but Williams is due $12.6 million on his fifth-year option and at just 25 years old, could have a very active trade market. Left tackles don’t normally become available and Williams and his reps undoubtedly want to avoid the change to right tackle in a contract year given how smaller deals are for linemen on that side.
Potentially anticipating this, the Bengals signed Cody Ford after agreeing to give him a shot at right tackle