Leonard Williams named the Giants’ top internal free agent

The New York Giants need to make a decision on defensive lineman Leonard Williams, who is the team’s top internal free agent.

The New York Giants are running out of time to make a decision on defensive lineman Leonard Williams even with the franchise and transitions tag deadline being moved back.

There have been circulating rumors that the Giants and Williams are not close on a new deal, and that the Giants will use one of those tags — likely the transition tag — to keep the veteran in East Rutherford.

Whether those rumors and reports prove fruitful remains to be seen, but the reality is that time is running out to make the decision.

And as fate would have it, that’s likely the biggest internal decision the Giants will have to make this offseason as Williams was recently named the team’s top impending free agent by ESPN.

Leonard Williams, defensive end

The Giants traded two draft picks for Williams midway through last season in a rare trade with the Jets. They’re invested and liked what he contributed over the final eight games, which included solid run defense and 20 QB pressures, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Williams was a solid but not spectacular player, much like he was with the Jets. He finished the season with 0.5 sacks and two tackles for a loss, and has 17.5 sacks in five professional seasons.

Prediction: The Giants like Williams and already have committed two draft picks. They’re not letting him walk four months later. He gets the transition tag at approximately $13.1 million, which at the very least buys them time to strike a long-term deal. Nobody will blow away Williams once tagged, and he’ll remain a Giant.

The Giants have seemed reluctant to use either tag to date, but may have backed themselves into a corner at this point. Williams has all the leverage and knows the Giants will have to pay up or risk being eviscerated publicly.

If general manager Dave Gettleman does tag Williams and the two sides are unable to strike a deal on a long-term contract, that will likely bring about even more issues given that the defensive lineman could possibly end up holding out.

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