If you thought a change of scenery would help rejuvenate Leonard Williams, think again.
Williams has played in four games with the Giants since the Jets traded him for a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-round pick. However, his play on the field hasn’t changed much since going from Gang Green to Big Blue.
Williams has racked up a total of 10 combined tackles, seven quarterback hits and zero sacks since joining the Giants. That’s just as many sacks as he had this year for the Jets, and only a few more quarterback hits. That number has slightly improved from five with the Jets to seven with the Giants, but four of those came against the Jets’ putrid offensive line when the MetLife Stadium roommates played two weeks after Williams was traded.
Williams has always been able to get close to the quarterback, but rarely does he finish the job and register a sack. We saw this in his time with the Jets. In his final two and a half seasons with Gang Green, Williams had 57 quarterback hits, but only seven sacks.
When the Giants decided to trade for him, it shocked the rest of the league. Not only were the Giants out of the playoff race, but he’s a free agent at the end of the season. Previous reports indicated that the Giants intend to sign him to an extension before the start of next season, otherwise the trade would end up being pointless. However, his performance throughout the 2019 season says he doesn’t deserve a massive payday.
Williams came out of USC in 2015 and was declared a can’t miss prospect, but it hasn’t worked out as many expected. His first two seasons with the Jets were impressive when he recorded 10 sacks 65 tackles and made a Pro Bowl, but the last three years have been a struggle.
It’s still too early to say that the Jets won this deal because Williams will likely be back with the Giants next season, so he has a chance to get better. Be that as it may, if Williams continues to put up numbers like these then it’s clear as day that the Jets got the better end of the deal.