The New York Giants surprised everyone when they traded for Leonard Williams before 2019’s trading deadline. Williams is an impending free agent that the Giants will need to make a big decision on in the coming months.
The Giants could re-sign Leonard Williams, but the contract will be costly. Or, the Giants could let Williams walk and save their cap space for a rainy day. In this article, I will break down the arguments for re-signing Leonard Williams, as well as the arguments against giving Big Cat an extension.
Arguments For:
Assets invested:
The Leonard Williams trade was confusing to many fans that believed the Giants already have one of the best young defensive lines in the NFL. Dexter Lawrence, Dalvin Tomlinson, and BJ Hill all looked like they could be long-term starters.
Nevertheless, Dave Gettleman needed to get himself another “hog molly.” In the trade for Leonard Williams, the Giants gave up their 2020 third-round draft pick. In addition to that, they also traded away a conditional draft pick in 2021. If the Giants re-sign Leonard Williams, the Jets will get the Giants’ 2021 fourth-round draft pick. If Big Cat walks in free agency, then the pick will only be a fifth-rounder.
Dave Gettleman invested two valuable draft picks into Leonard Williams. The 2020 third-round pick is a top 100 selection that the Giants will no longer have. In exchange, New York got a disruptive defensive lineman. But, considering the Giants already invested so much in Williams, it would look silly to let him walk away for nothing.
Talented, Young Player Who Opens Up The Defense:
Having a consistent gap-plugging defensive lineman can be vital for a defense. A defensive lineman who commands double teams as Leonard Williams does opens things up for the linebackers behind him. Two linemen trying to handle Williams leaves one less lineman available to block the Giants’ inside linebacker.
Big Cat is also valuable because he can impact both facets of the game. He is an excellent run defender and an underrated pass-rusher:
Among 87 interior defenders with 200 or more pass-rushing snaps, Williams ranked 13th in pressure rate at 11.3%, but his one sack in 424 pass-rushing snaps put him near the bottom of the list in sack rate. On the other hand, Williams led the position with 19 quarterback hits. –Pro Football Focus
At only 25-years-old, Leonard Williams could be an excellent long-term building block for the Giants’ defense. He would be one of the most experienced players on the defense with five NFL seasons under his belt, but he is still extremely young for his position.
Arguments Against:
Too Expensive:
The New York Giants are estimated by Spotrac to have over $69 million in cap space before they start trimming the fat and cutting veteran contracts. They can be big-spenders in free agency if they want to be. However, they will need to spend money on their own players before they can start taking players from other teams.
Leonard Williams and Markus Golden are among the team’s free agents that they will need to decide whether or not to re-sign or let walk. But both of these players are in-line for a big pay-day, and some might not deem Williams to be worthy of such a lucrative contract.
According to Spotrac, Leonard Williams has an estimated market value of $8.2 million on average annually. The Giants would have to give Leonard Williams a five-year extension worth over $40 million to keep him in Big Blue long-term. That is one big and expensive commitment to give a defensive lineman that totaled 0.5 sacks in 2019.
Not Enough Production:
As mentioned above, Leonard Williams only totaled 0.5 sacks in 2019. He simply did not show up on the stat sheets. Leonard also had only 2 tackles for loss this season, the lowest total of his five-year career.
Many Giants fans were unimpressed by Williams’s performance after the Giants acquired him. And, considering the Giants will have to pay him a hefty sum, many fans are fine watching the former Jet walk out the door.