Trent Williams, others take pride in swapping jerseys

ASHBURN — Trent Williams is running out of space.

At Redskins Park, the left tackle is one of the few players to have a double locker, but Williams’ space is practically filled — so much so that quarterback Kirk Cousins publicly shamed him on Twitter by calling him a hoarder.

Part of Williams’ space is taken by numerous hanging jerseys. In mostly every outing his season, as he has done for the last three years, Williams swaps uniforms with a player at the end of the game. He keeps the memorabilia in his locker.

And after the season ends, Williams will frame the jerseys and put them on a wall in his home.

There’s only one problem. Like his locker, there’s not enough room.

“We’ll make it work,” Williams said.

Swapping jerseys means a lot to Williams, as well as many other players throughout the league.

Just in the Redskins locker room, wide receiver Jamison Crowder and cornerbacks Bashaud Breeland and Josh Norman display uniforms they’ve collected during the year. Others, like Ziggy Hood and Zach Vigil, have at least one hanging. 

The decision to swap usually comes down to one of two reasons: either the players know each other well or there’s a mutual respect.

Crowder, for instance, was approached by New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead after the Redskins’ 34-31 loss in November. Snead didn’t know Crowder, but the two exchanged jerseys, autographing them in the process.

“I told (Snead) that I respect his game and that he’s a really good player in this league,” Crowder said. “It just kinda happened like that.”

The exchange can be spur of the moment, but also planned in advance. When reviewing his collection of jerseys, Williams’ pulled out a FedEx package and unveiled a jersey from Los Angeles Rams cornerback Kayvon Webster.

Webster, who didn’t play against the Redskins in Week 2 because of an injury, mailed his jersey after the fact. That practice is common, and Williams said he needs to sign and send his own jersey to Packers tight end Lance Kendricks, after having played against each other in the preseason. 

“I probably should do that,” he said.

Breeland, meanwhile, tries to get a jersey after every game. He likes to go out of his way to exchange with people he knows from his alma mater, Clemson.

In his locker, Breeland had jerseys from wideout Jaron Brown, safety Jayron Kearse, linebacker Terrance Smith, running back Wayne Gallman, defensive end Jarvis Jenkins and cornerback Dontae Johnson. He’s focused on his college brethren instead of NFL stars.

“If I know you, and I’ve played against you, I want to get that moment, that moment on the field with you,” Breeland said.

Jersey swapping has been around for decades, but has seen an uptick in recent years. Williams said he occasionally swapped jerseys starting in 2013, though started avidly collecting them three years ago.

The process also sometimes comes with a fee. An NFL spokesman said it’s up to the team on if they want to charge a player for giving away their jersey. The Redskins are one of them, applying a fee — which Crowder estimated was $400-500 — to a player’s paycheck. The fee is for having to restock the jersey.

Most players, though, don’t notice, or care.

“I don’t like losing money, but it’s not like I’m losing $100,000,” Crowder said.

Williams takes pride in his collection. This year, he’s swapped with Chiefs outside linebacker Justin Houston, defensive end Danielle Hunter, defensive end Olivier Vernon, tackles Lane Johnson and Donald Penn and running backs Joe Mixon and Melvin Gordon.

But last week, Williams was put on injured reserve — ending his season and ability to swap at the end of games.

Was he disappointed that he wasn’t able to exchange jerseys with Broncos star Von Miller? In 2016, Miller said in an article for the Players’ Tribune that Williams was the toughest tackle he has ever faced.

“I’ve already got his jersey hanging up in my house,” Williams said, grinning. “… Me and Von, that was my first time ever swapping.”