The Giants’ trade for Leonard Williams at the 2019 deadline raised plenty of eyebrows at the time, given New York’s status as a non-contender and Williams’ status as a pending free agent. The team applied the franchise tag on Williams in the offseason, and though player and team were unable to agree to a long-term pact, the former first-round pick is having a breakout year and is a big reason why the Giants are sitting in first place in the NFC East.
The knock on Williams throughout his early career with the Jets is that he was unable to consistently convert his high number of quarterback hits into sacks. That has changed this season, as the USC product has already amassed a career-high 8.5 sacks through 12 games, and Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics consider him the 17th-best interior defender in the league out of 125 qualified players. In addition to his pass-rushing acumen, he continues to excel against the run.
Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv believes Williams and the Giants will ultimately come to terms on a lucrative multi-year contract at season’s end, but as always, money will be the determining factor. Because he is not an edge rusher, Williams is unlikely to hit the $25MM+ AAV that players like Joey Bosa enjoy, and several agents think DeForest Buckner‘s four-year, $84MM pact ($56MM guaranteed) is a reasonable benchmark.
Williams does not have Buckner’s track record, so GMs may be hesitant to pony up that kind of guaranteed cash unless they are confident 2020 is not a peak but is instead a harbinger of things to come. Plus, the market may be depressed in general as a result of the pandemic and the potential for a dramatically reduced salary cap, and a number of talented pass rushers may find themselves looking for a new home in 2021, which would help keep Williams’ price down and increase his chances of staying put.
He has not shown any indication that he wants to leave, and since his potential has finally been unlocked with Big Blue, it makes sense that both sides would want to continue their relationship for the foreseeable future. As one agent said, “A deal with the Giants makes too much sense. They’re not going to be able to get a player like him on the market, and he might not be able to get the money he wants on the market. The Giants can afford to give him $20-22 million per year, maybe with an out in the deal so he gets another shot at free agency in a few years when the cap is back to normal.”
One of the few free agents that interested me. I was going to ask Santa for him to be in a Detroit Lions uniform.
I don’t think he quite deserves Buckner money given his lack of prior production, but something in the range of $15-17 million/season over four years would make sense. He would be smart to stay with the Giants, as Judge looks like he knows how to use him properly
Agreed. This is what they were hoping for with that trade, though it has been late in arriving. Will he keep it up? I don’t know, but it seems that Williams has finally found his motivation. We’ll see what happens.
Again, don’t understand your comment about “prior production favoring Buckner given the following;
From the Bergen Record – One of the surest bets in the class, Williams has graded between 70.0 and 82.0 in all six years of his career. Run defense is his calling card, as he ranks in the 86th percentile in PFF run-defense grade since entering the league and with his best work coming as a B and C gap defender. Williams is an average pass-rusher and even with increased sack totals this season, he’s yet to break a 72.0 pass-rush grade for his career. Still, Williams has been one of the most valuable interior defensive linemen in the league since 2015, and his level of consistency is a plus for potential suitors.
Might it be fair to say that Williams has always excelled at run stopping while it seems that Buckner has excelled as a pass rusher? But to say that Williams hasn’t done much up until his time with the Giants don’t think is accurate (and I’m not a Jets fan).
I partly agree with your argument in that Williams has always been a pretty stout run defender. However, his pass-rushing skills are a bit questionable and I think it’s fair to say run defenders are easier to find in this league than elite pass-rushers, especially in a pass-first league. Players like Tim Settle and Raekwon Davis can be found for pennies on the dollar. Obviously Williams is above this level, but I’m not sure he’s quite the game-changer Buckner is. You put together a great argument though, and I can respect your opinion
He’ll get the cash and crash
I’ve always liked Williams and thought he got a bad rap while being with the Jets. He’s not in the same league as Buckner but he’s a solid blue collar player who can make an impact when given some support.
Agreed about your Jets comment but not about your “not in the same league as Buckner” comment…remember most of his career has been on defensively mediocre Jets teams and comparatively;
Williams – 26 sacks, 305 tackles, 155 solo
Buckner – 33 sacks, 307 tackles, 193 solo
Not too far apart to say Buckner is totally in a different league than Williams….just saying!
Not really sure why you’re so bent on proving Williams and Buckner are in the same level.
I’ll point out the Jets actually had higher rated team defenses. One might say Williams had more opportunities with the secondary he had to help by time. I’m a Giants fan who is glad to see improved play, but I’m not breaking the bank for him.
When are people going to wake up and realize that Gettleman knows what he is doing and has the Giants trending upwards? He has slowly and surely drafted systematically with a tremendous number of them still viable. Getting Peppers alone for Odell would have been worth it. Hiring Judge was the owners final move and is exactly what they needed to bring everything together as a team.
If nothing else, Gettleman has demonstrated that defensive line play is his concern. Now that line is playing well. If Gettleman is going to get this team right, this would be the first step in that direction.
I’m of the opinion personally that, while Gettleman has made a few questionable moves, he’s taken more flak than necessary. However, he does deserve some blame for hiring/tolerating bad coaches in Pat Shurmur and Ben McAdoo who certainly did not help. He also whiffed on some big picks (Flowers, for instance, and did not address the LB position). Gettleman may end up validated, but it’s a bit early to proclaim him as such right now. I do think though that a lot of the Giants’ woes have to do with coaching, and Gettleman is not quite as outright terrible as others think.