The fate of defensive lineman Leonard Williams will be a major offseason storyline for the New York Giants. After all, the team dropped a substantial amount of draft capital to obtain him last season and he’s now reportedly seeking $15 million annually.
But does that make Leonard a must-sign for the Giants?
Brad Gagnon of Bleacher Report recently pondered that very question and came to the conclusion that, yes, Williams is now a must-sign for general manager Dave Gettleman.
The New York Giants surrendered a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for defensive lineman Leonard Williams. While that’s now a sunk cost, the Giants would look silly if they let Williams walk just eight games after making that trade.
Besides, while many of the Giants’ in-house free agents are disposable because of their age (Mike Remmers, Michael Thomas) or because a rebuilding team with oodles of cap space can do better (Markus Golden, Cody Latimer), Williams has tremendous growth potential at the age of 25.
The 2015 No. 6 overall pick already has a Pro Bowl on his resume, and he performed well down the stretch in a fresh environment. In eight games with the G-Men, he recorded 11 quarterback hits, 26 tackles and a forced fumble.
The Giants have to double down on their investment and see if Williams can become a star alongside Dalvin Tomlinson, Dexter Lawrence and B.J. Hill.
Any way you look at it, Williams feels like overkill. As talented as he is, is he really worth $15 million per season as part of a four-man rotation?
Had the Giants not acquired him from the New York Jets last season, he likely wouldn’t be considered a top free agent target. However, because Gettleman did what he did, he’s backed the Giants into a corner where they essentially have to pay Williams whatever he wants.
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