Trent Williams on ‘I AM ATHLETE’ calls Raheem Mostert the new-age Chris Johnson

Trent Williams of the San Francisco 49ers joined Brandon Marshall and Chad Ocho Cinco on their podcast “I AM ATHLETE” to discuss everything from his Silverback documentary to the misdiagnosis of a rare form of cancer that almost ruined his career.

We look at three takeaways from the 33-year-old offensive tackles visit with I AM ATHLETE below.

Williams dodges several proposals to join the Bengals

The podcast opened up with Ochocinco trying to lure Williams away to the Cincinnati Bengals, and Ocho continued to jab at the idea, but Williams didn’t fold. Instead, Williams made his own sales pitch that San Francisco could make the next step and win the Super Bowl.

“I think we have the team to repeat that same success....Thats my only focus as a player is to go into every season thinking i want to be better than last year”

Williams stressed he wanted to fulfill the contract he’s under for the next five seasons. It would not shock me if Williams retired after the 2025 season. His commitment to the team is another reason John Lynch needs to do everything in his power to bolster this roster.

A rare cancer was misdiagnosed as a cyst

A small lump brought headaches to Williams for months before seeing the team doctor in 2013. Williams was eventually diagnosed by the Washington Commanders, who told him it was a cyst. However, the lump was required to be seen by a plastic surgeon because it was so close to his hairline, and that would force Williams to miss time.

Williams did not want to miss any games during the season—so he pushed it to the offseason, which led to him forgetting about following up on it until he felt it grow more before training camp the following season.

Long story short, Williams would encounter several minor lingering injuries that would cause him to miss some time, and he would constantly bring up getting the “cyst” checked out. However, Washington pushed it off every time because Williams was not in pain.

It made Williams take matters into his own hands as he locked the door with him and the team doctors demanding him get checked out. Williams was right about his concern. The specialist disagreed that it was a cyst and later revealed that it was Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans, a potentially terminal cancer.

The cyst turned tumor suddenly changed Williams’ outlook on life as his career was in jeopardy. Nearly five years after the misdiagnosis, Williams said he had no hard feelings toward Washington. He brought up how Washington sent him to the dermatologist and several other different doctors that ended with the same result. The cancer was starting to grow on his skull and was discovered in the nick of time.

Stressed the ball carrier should follow him

Williams’ athleticism allows him to do things 320-pound men shouldn't be able to do. He vividly described his blocking path in different scenarios; for example, he stressed trying to outflank defensive backs and linebackers on one of Shanan’s most-used play—crack toss. He reiterated that defensive backs can't cut offensive linemen, forcing them to make a business decision. Blocking in space led to him bringing up one of his favorite running backs to block for in Raheem Mostert.

Williams called Moster the new age Chris Johnson who ran for 2,000 rushing yards for the Tennessee Titans in 2009. I stressed that Mostert’s speed and vision unleash big play’s in Shanaahan’s wide zone system.

Outlook

The group of guys had a very deep conversation on I AM ATHLETE with Trent Williams. Marshall’s podcast allowed Williams to show he’s more than a football player as he displayed his intelligence and opened up about an emotional subject while still playing around with the guys.