Giants’ Williams will have to wait for long-term deal
There will be no long-term extension for defensive tackle Leonard Williams.
Not at this time, anyway.
The 26-year old — one of the most polarizing players on the roster, in the hearts and minds of Giants fans — is currently on the books for the $16.1 million franchise tag tender he signed in late April. The deadline for franchise players to sign long-term deals is 4 p.m. Wednesday.
That deadline will come and go with no contract agreement, meaning Williams is not allowed to sign a multiyear deal until after the 2020 season. He will play this season for $16.1 million and then hit the open market — unless the Giants opt to apply the franchise tag a second time, which is highly unlikely.
Williams filed a grievance to the NFL through the NFL Players Association, arguing that he should be listed as a defensive end, and thus his franchise-tag tender should be $17.8 million, a difference in pay of $1.7 million. Williams, in 729 snaps on defense with the Jets and Giants in 2019, lined up at defensive tackle or nose tackle 466 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Williams’ contention is that he was a defensive end in the 3-4 defensive front the Giants utilized in 2019.
There were never any signs the two sides were anywhere close to an agreement. This is hardly a Giantscentric problem. Of the 14 players to sign their franchise tenders this offseason, none has yet agreed to a longterm deal with his team. The uncertainty of the economic impact from the COVID-19 pandemic, as far as how it will affect the salary cap for 2021 and beyond, makes it extremely difficult for teams to assess what they should be willing to pay players with expiring contracts.
The Giants take it as a good sign that Williams signed the tender in time to participate fully in the virtual offseason program. This certainly caught the attention of Joe Judge, the new head coach. Judge and his defensive coordinator, Patrick Graham, are intrigued by what Willi- ams brings to the defensive line and are anxious to see where he fits best.
There are several reasons why a contract extension will not happen.
Since their hiring by the Giants, Judge and Graham never met face-toface with Williams, making it impossible for a full endorsement on a new deal. It is believed Williams’ representation wants his $16.1 million tender to be a jumping-off point for the annual average on any new contract, making his salary demands more in line with $18 million per year. The Giants are not close to that figure and are interested to see how Williams performs on a contract year.
The Giants have about $16.6 million of salary-cap space but need nearly $13 million to sign their 10 2020 draft picks. That would leave the Giants with less than $4 million in cap space. An extension for Williams would have provided more salary space in 2020. That would be beneficial for the Giants, but is not essential at this time.
This was a largely unpopular move on Oct. 28, 2019, when general manager Dave Gettleman sent a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifthround pick to the Jets for Williams. Why would Gettleman give up so much for a player who was going to be a free agent a few months later? The Giants at midseason were 2-6 and not going anywhere, playing a rookie quarterback (Daniel Jones) and clearly headed for another dismal season and likely another coaching change.
The former head coach, Pat Shurmur, and former defensive coordinator, James Bettcher, were 100 percent onboard with adding Williams, hoping he could spark the defense. He was inserted immediately into the starting lineup, replacing B.J. Hill, and nothing changed. The Giants were on a four-game losing streak before the trade and lost their next five games with Williams in the lineup. There was an uptick in the run defense with Williams on the field but he basically showed the Giants what the Jets already knew based on their 4 ¹/2 years together. Williams in seven starts with the Jets had 20 tackles, five quarterback hits and no sacks. Williams in eight starts for the Giants had 26 tackles, 11 quarterback hits and one-half sack.
Gettleman believed having Williams in the building for a half-season would lead to, if not a hometown discount, a more agreeable negotiating platform. Then there was a coaching regime change and a global pandemic — factors that made a long-term extension highly unlikely. And the two sides do not agree on compensation. This will be revisited after the season.