Former Steelers LB Reveals He Once Requested Trade

Williams' Steelers Career

Considering Williams was a late Day 3 pick who was entering his second season in the league when he asked for a trade, it's no surprise that Colbert shut it down immediately and seemingly didn't give even a second of thought towards fulfilling the former's wishes in the moment.

Williams did play more than most sixth-round picks as a rookie, making 11 starts and logging 53 tackles, but Colbert still didn't believe he had any ground to stand on when it came to requesting a trade.

Once Shazier entered the picture, however, Williams' playing time did dwindle.

From 2014 to 2016, Williams made just six starts and recorded a total of 136 tackles with three fumble recoveries and 2.5 sacks while never being on the field for over 26 percent of Pittsburgh's defensive snaps in any of those three seasons (per Pro Football Reference).

Williams later became more of a focal point for the Steelers' defense, as he started all 30 contests he appeared in between the 2017 and 2018 campaigns while putting up a combined 165 tackles, 12.5 sacks and two interceptions.

He also signed a three-year extension worth $18.60 million ahead of the 2018 season, and after recording 125 tackles with 5.5 sacks between the 2019 and 2020 campaigns, he was cut in March 2021.

Pittsburgh re-signed Williams to a one-year contract one month later in April, though he went on to retire in July right before training camp began.

Colbert's Most Notable Trades with Steelers

Colbert first joined Pittsburgh as its director of football operations in 2000 before being named the franchise's first-ever general manager in 2010 and later adding vice president to his ledger in 2016.

In terms of the most noteworthy trades involving players that he made over his 22 years with the organization, sending Antonio Brown to the Oakland Raiders in March 2019 for a 2019 third-round pick (Diontae Johnson) and 2019 fifth-rounder (Zach Gentry) is up there alongside acquiring Minkah Fitzpatrick from the Miami Dolphins in September of that same year for a package headlined by Pittsburgh's 2020 first-rounder.

Colbert also dealt Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets in April 2010 for a 2010 fifth-round pick, and that selection was later flipped to the Arizona Cardinals in order to reacquire Bryant McFadden as well as a sixth-rounder, which was used on Brown.

In terms of trade-ups during the NFL Draft, Colbert slid up in the first round in 2003 to select Troy Polamalu while doing the same in 2006 to land Holmes.