Leonard Williams plays for the Giants now, but his contract situation still affects the Jets.
The former 2015 first-round pick will be a free agent when the 2020 league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 18 unless the Giants sign him to a new contract or place the franchise or transition tag on him. The Giants have less than a week to decide what to do, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the two sides “are not close” to an extension. Rapoport added that Williams has a “strong market,” which leads many to believe the Giants will opt for one of the tags.
Which path the Giants choose affects the Jets’ 2021 draft. The Giants traded a 2020 third-round pick and a conditional fifth-round pick in 2021 that could turn into a fourth if Big Blue re-signs Williams to an extension before March 18. It looks like an extension is unlikely, though, meaning the Jets will be stuck with the fifth-round selection they initially acquired.
The crux of the negotiation likely stems from Williams’ positional designation and the value difference between a defensive end and defensive tackle. If the Giants tag him as an interior lineman, he’ll be looking at a slightly lower contract to work with while negotiating a long-term deal after March 18.
Williams didn’t look any better with the Giants than he did with the Jets. He tallied only half a sack in eight games and registered 26 combined tackles, two pass breakups and one forced fumble. Williams recorded only seven sacks and 109 combined tackles in the previous 39 games for the Jets over the past 2.5 seasons.
The Giants could easily look at that production, realize Williams isn’t worth the $15.3-$17.9 million he’d earn under either tag at either position or $12 million annually on an extension and simply let him walk. If that happens, the Jets would keep the picks, obviously, but wouldn’t see their pick upgrade from a fifth to a fourth.
There isn’t much time to make a decision on Williams’ future. The Giants have until March 10 to sign him to the transition tag and until March 12 for the franchise tag. Doing either would give them time to negotiate a long-term deal for Williams but wouldn’t give the Jets a better draft pick.