"I took a lot of stuff for granted, just in life in general," San Francisco 49ers Tackle Trent Williams told ESPN's Adam Schefter. "Just being an NFL athlete, and the last 15 years of life have kind of been scheduled, documented, basically pampered, so to speak. Just keeping it honest, just being an athlete, especially while you're in it, there's not a ton of struggles that you encounter.
"Me being successful in the sport and doing what I was at the time, I just felt like, for lack of a better word, I just felt untouchable."
That changed when Williams was diagnosed with life-threatening cancer on his head. A long battle ensued, and the eight-time Pro Bowl offensive lineman overcame the attack on his body. For a while, though, hope was dwindling.
"They told me to get my affairs in order," Williams shared. "They told me to get close to my kid. They told me to just kind of get closer to the things that matter most."
Football took a backseat in Williams' mind. Experts were telling him he didn't have long to live.
"I thought football was over with," Williams said.
Now, Williams is healthy and is Pro Football Focus' highest-graded NFL player this season. In fact, he is on track to be the analytics site's all-time highest-graded player.
Williams joined The Adam Schefter Podcast this week and discussed his difficult battle with cancer and NFL journey. It's a must-listen for any football fan. At one point, Schefter asked Williams how his battle changed the way he approaches the game and life in general today, and the tackle became very emotional trying to respond.
"I just don't take it for granted," Williams was finally able to say. "Just, every Sunday, I just give thanks because I didn't know how close it was to not being there."
A documentary chronicling Williams' battle with cancer, Silverback: The Trent Williams Story, is being released. You can watch the trailer here.
You can listen to Schefter's entire conversation with Williams below. It begins at about the 8:30 mark.
