Why the Leonard Williams Contract Negotiation Won't Be an Easy Process

Of course Leonard Williams wants top dollar. But it's not going to be as easy as that, and on the surface, it doesn't look as though general manager Dave Gettleman fully thought this whole deal out.

Giants defensive tackle Leonard Williams’ desire to be paid his worth doesn’t come as a surprise as Williams is no different than the scores of working professionals in other industries who every day lobby for financial compensation reflecting their value.

But for Williams, it won’t be as easy as the Giants simply putting a proposal in front of his representatives and expecting him to sing on the dotted line.

A significant criticism of Giants general manager Dave Gettleman and his decision to trade for Williams—the Jets will get the Giants’ third-round pick in 2020 and a conditional fifth that could turn into a fourth-rounder in 2021 if the Giants re-sign the 25-year-old Williams to a long term deal—is that Williams’ production through the years hasn’t exactly screamed “defensive line centerpiece.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Williams, before the Giants game vs. the Eagles, has totaled 242 pressures during his NFL career, which includes 21 sacks (none so far with the Giants). Of Williams’ 158 total tackles, 151 of those have been stops, and he’s only missed 29 tackles.

That’s not horrible production, but is it worthy of a blockbuster type of contract?

The answer is no, and the reason extends beyond the production or lack thereof, depending on your perspective.

The biggest question regarding Williams is if he’s better suited to play a 3-tech in a true 4-3 scheme rather than this pseudo 4-3 that Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher plays when he puts a pair of 250-pound outside linebackers down on the line to take on 300-pound offensive linemen.

A big question mark after the Williams trade was what general manager Dave Gettleman saw in Williams’ four years of NFL tape that no one else has seen. 

The likely answer is that he saw a player who might be a better fit for a true 4-3 defense that lines up a pair of 270+ pound defensive ends opposite of tackles who can potentially create matchup problems that might free up the 3-tech (or penetrator) on the line.

Williams, by his own admission, isn’t in the same class as Aaron Donald of the Rams. Williams hasn’t shown that he can take over a game all by his lonesome and that while he can work in tandem with teammates to create opportunities, he’s consistently proven himself to be a complementary piece.

Putting a legitimate pass rusher next to Williams could be the answer. If the Giants can’t get Ohio State pass rusher Chase Young, they’re going to have to spend big bucks to get a pass rusher if the youngsters they have on the roster aren’t the answer.

That means that the Giants would be setting themselves up to sink considerable resources into the defensive front on a position of higher need (pass rusher) and a complementary piece (3-tech).

Then there is the issue of the coaching staff. If the Giants slide continues, it’s almost a given that something will change. Even if head coach Pat Shurmur is retained, there is no way that defensive coordinator James Bettcher survives after his defense struggled for two straight years.

Would the next defensive coordinator then want to run a 3-4 or a 4-3? Even if he were to run a multiple front, is there a guarantee that Williams will see the bulk of the snaps, or will he be a part-time rotational player?

These are all questions that one wonders if Gettleman and the Giants considered before making the trade, including: If Gettleman wanted Williams, why didn't he just wait until March and try to sign him as a free agent and hold onto his draft picks?

 What’s done is done, and we’ll never know. What we do know is that the Giants have taken a significant gamble on a player who could pay dividends but who, like the rest of the defense, has too many “ifs” attached to his future.