We’ve got another major trade to report. The Jets are sending defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Giants, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Per Schefter, the Jets are getting a third-round pick in next April’s draft, and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft. Fortunately for Williams he won’t have to move far, as the Jets are sending him to their crosstown rivals. Schefter soon added in a separate tweet that the fifth-round pick becomes a fourth-rounder if Williams signs a new deal with the G-Men before the start of the next league year. Schefter also reports that the Jets are paying $4MM of the $6MM that Williams is owed for the rest of 2019.
There have been murmurs about Williams getting traded, and something finally materialized. All the way back in January we heard the Jets were considering moving him, and hoping to get a second-round pick in return. Just yesterday, we passed along word that the Cowboys had been interested in Williams before trading for Michael Bennett, and there were apparently multiple other teams in the mix.
The USC product is in the final year of his deal, and the Jets wanted to get something for him while they still could. The third-rounder they’ll be getting from the Giants will presumably be an early third-rounder given their current record. The Giants being buyers at 2-6 and adding a rental player might seem odd, but they’ll presumably try and sign Williams to an extension now. He’ll slide in next to Dexter Lawrence, the Giants’ first-round rookie, on New York’s defensive line.
The sixth overall pick of the 2015 draft, Williams is still only 25. He made the Pro Bowl in 2016 and has shown that he’s capable of playing at a very high level. As NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano pointed out in a tweet, this is the first time that the Jets and Giants have ever made a trade, so it’s a historic day.
Why?
Classic Giants
This is a headscratcher. I don’t know why they would trade him to the Giants, except that it will be a high third rounder. Giants chances this year are not much better than the Jets. I’m guessing they’re prepared to sign him long term.
I was hoping to hear about Jenkins and Solder getting dumped for picks, but now we’re taking on the Jets overrated underachiever?
Hasn’t produced since being picked over 3 years ago don’t see any potential other than he was once a top 10 pick who isn’t good at what he was drafted to do
Its funny how people look at stats and assume players are no good.
Like double teaming him = no sacks bc the rest of the line sucks. Like throwing away from Nnamdi, not bc he was good but bc the guy opposite him was always complete trash.
0 sacks and 0 tackles for loss clearly can’t beat a double team
exactly
PLEASE hire someone to run this once proud franchise!!
Gettleman strikes again. Why wait until the offseason to try and sign an underachiever when you can give up two picks and still miss the playoffs by a mile? At least Williams isn’t a former Cardinal or Panther.
It feels a little odd. As a Raiders’ fan, I hope that yesterday’s loss teaches us a lesson that, while we are much closer than we were last year, we are still unlikely to be a playoff team. What the NYG’ goal remains a mystery. Give up a #2+ in the hopes he will sign early?
Seriously don’t understand this one. Thought he would go to a contending team… But thats the NFL, unpredictable
Giants get Williams and Cardinals get Kenyan Drake. What’s next, is Cincinnati going to trade for Vic Beasley?
#confusedaf
This looks like a plan to tag if he doesn’t resign move by the Giants
I’m thinking that there are probably fans in San Diego and Oakland wondering why New York needs two bad teams while they have (or soon will have) no team.