When the New York Giants acquired defensive lineman Leonard Williams from the New York Jets mid-way through last season, general manager Dave Gettleman made it abundantly clear that the goal was to get Williams under a long-term contract.
Negotiations led nowhere earlier this year, so instead, Gettleman placed the franchise tag on Williams, which the veteran lineman was quick to sign.
“You know, the bottom line is contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done,” Gettleman told reporters in April. “So, we’ll just move along. You guys know I don’t discuss contracts, I don’t discuss timing, I don’t discuss anything. They get done when they’re supposed to get done.”
The bad news is that the Giants and Williams are now running short on time to agree on a long-term contract extension before the window of opportunity closes.
In fact, the two sides now have less than 48 hours to get that accomplished.
If the Giants and Williams can not agree on a long-term deal come July 15, the veteran will play on the one-year franchise tag worth a sizable $16.1 million.
That alone should be motivation for the cap-starved Giants to get Williams under a long-term contract, but it’s clear the two sides are nowhere close to an agreement. And those are very bad optics for Gettleman, who was heavily criticized for the trade in the first place.
Although Williams is a stellar run stopper, many across the football landscape get hung up on his sack numbers — of lack thereof. He recorded just a half a sack in 2019, which sounds bad but does not match the analytical data that suggests Williams is one of the better interior pass rushers in the game.
That argument aside, there will be no defense for Gettleman if he’s unable to get Williams under a new deal by July 15 because the odds of re-signing him next year are slim-to-none.
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