The New York Giants officially placed the franchise tag on defensive lineman Leonard Williams ahead of the NFL’s Tuesday deadline, essentially locking him into place for at least another season.
In the days and weeks ahead, the Giants and Williams will continue to work towards a long-term deal. If they are unable to come to terms, the 26-year-old will play out the 2021 season with a one-year salary of roughly $19.36 million pending his NFLPA grievances over position.
That would be a tough pill for the Giants to swallow, who are now a projected $11 million over the cap.
“Well, we still don’t know what the cap number is going to be. We still don’t know that, so that’s a hypothetical. Don’t know what the number is going to be, but it is what it is,” general manager Dave Gettleman said when asked about Williams playing on the franchise tag. “Obviously it certainly makes it a little more difficult [in free agency], but we’ll operate, and we’ll manage.”
The floor will be set at no less than $180 million, which represents the first drop since the inception of the cap in 1994. However, there remains a possibility that the NFL will reach a deal on new television contracts, potentially boosting that number by a few million.
Even in that scenario, the Giants will still need to clear additional salary cap space just to fit Williams in. But they remain confident the juice is worth the squeeze — Williams could not be allowed to hit the open market.
“He’s a guy that obviously we really value in this building and we’d love to have him around here. When we talk specifically about how that helps the pass rush, I think good players help you play good and it’s no secret that he’s a very good player,” head coach Joe Judge said.
The Giants kept Williams in the building, which was goal No. 1. Now they just need to figure everything else out.
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