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The New York Giants and Leonard Williams standoff appeared to be going strong on Tuesday morning with multiple reports stating they weren’t close on a deal, but as the clock neared afternoon hours, things changed.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that the Giants and Williams have agreed to a three-year deal worth $63 million with $45 million guaranteed.
Giant and Leonard Williams have agreed on a 3 year deal for 63 million with 45 million fully guaranteed. Roosevelt Barnes and Brandon Parker, and exec Kevin Abrams finished the deal today.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 16, 2021
Although negotiations looked bleak at times, the Giants had remained committed to signing Williams long-term ever since acquiring him from the New York Jets in a mid-2019 trade that was heavily criticized.
Entering the offseason, New York placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Williams for the second straight year, but knew it would be a difficult thing to manage.
“Obviously it certainly makes it a little more difficult [in free agency], but we’ll operate, and we’ll manage,” general manager Dave Gettleman said last week.
Head coach Joe Judge was more direct, saying Williams was a player they’d “love” to keep in the building.
“He’s a guy that obviously we really value in this building and we’d love to have him around here. When we talk specifically about how that helps the pass rush, I think good players help you play good and it’s no secret that he’s a very good player,” Judge said.
The exact breakdown of Williams’ three-year deal has not yet been released, but even with a $21 million per season average, it is likely to clear significant salary cap space for the Giants.
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