The New York Giants may have placed the franchise tag on defensive lineman Leonard Williams, but that does not mean that the Williams saga is done and over. The Giants have until the middle of July to come to a long term contract agreement with Williams, or he’ll play out the season under the tag – an arrangement that would put the Giants in a similar free agency situation with Williams in 2021 but would award compensation draft picks if Williams signs for another team.
It still remains to be seen what the Giants will do as far as contract negotiations with Williams go. A long term deal, of course, is likely the most ideal outcome, but General Manager Dave Gettleman didn’t lean too hard one way or the other when asked about the possibility.
Dave Gettleman on possibly signing Leonard Williams to a long-term contract, rather than have him play out the year on the franchise tag: "Contracts get done when they’re supposed to get done. So we’ll just move along."
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RalphVacchiano) April 13, 2020
Contracts getting done when they’re supposed to get done is a pretty vague term – that could be before the deadline, but it could also be after the season. Fortunately for the Giants, Williams isn’t known to be out for a large contract by any means necessary this season, meaning the team shouldn’t have problems getting him to play under the tag this year before either agreeing to a long term deal or moving on to another team.
The Giants will get something out of it either way. But as for which way they’ll go? Dave Gettleman hasn’t yet given a strong indication one way or the other, in his typical fashion, and fans will likely be waiting for the next couple of months until it’s closer to the deadline to know the truth behind what the Giants’ next move is.