The New York Giants’ trade for veteran defensive tackle Leonard Williams lat October has been met with a boatload of criticism and rightfully so. It was an uncharacteristic move for a losing team to trade for an impending free agent in-season, surrendering valuable draft capital for a player they could have pursued in free agency six months later.
The Williams move has not made the Giants a better team. Williams is a slightly above-average player who is commanding a major payday. Pro Bowl money, to be exact. Since the Giants have so much invested in him, they have to pay him to save face.
But there was a snag in the plan to get that done this spring, and the Giants were forced to slap the franchise tag on Williams at a one-year cost of $16.1 million. Williams is not a $16 million player. And now the Giants are in no better shape with Williams — he’s still an impending free agent heading into this season.
The Giants received $4 million in cash plus Williams before the trading deadline last year from the New York Jets in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick (No. 68 overall, which the Jets used to select Cal safety Ashtyn Davis) and a 2021 conditional fifth-round selection.
That fifth rounder will become a fourth rounder if the Giants sign Williams to a contract extension before the league new year in March, which they may have to if they want to keep him.
If they do not, the Jets still get that fifth-round pick and the Giants likely lose Williams to another tram in free agency. That wouldn’t be a total loss, however. The loss of Williams in free agency would be added to the Giants’ compensatory draft pick cancellation chart. If they don’t sign a player equal in status to Williams, they are likely to get that pick back from the league.
There is always the possibility that Williams shines and the Giants sign him prior to free agency next year and all this get resolved.
[lawrence-related id=652023,651277,650789]