#Leonard Williams emerges a winner from Giants’ tag fiasco

The Giants can’t be happy, but an elated Leonard Williams is the one with the unheard grievance.

When the two sides called off negotiations on a long-term extension ahead of Wednesday’s deadline and agreed Williams will play on the franchise tag in 2020, it left the Giants’ highest-paid defensive player holding a lottery ticket with one more opportunity to increase his winnings.

The NFL Players Association filed a grievance on Williams’ behalf to bump his franchise-tagged salary from the $16.1 million slotted for defensive tackles to the $17.7 million for defensive ends. An arbitration hearing to settle the dispute has been delayed by coronavirus restrictions, according to a league source.

General manager Dave Gettleman bucked convention by trading two draft picks, including a 2021 fifth-rounder, to the Jets for a pending free agent in the middle of a lost season. Gettleman then doubled down against his own instincts by applying the tag — previously described by him as a locker-room distraction — because he believed it when Williams sat in his office and said “he wants to be here.”

Never afraid to be bold, and accused by some players of being ruthless, Gettleman looks surprisingly naïve for believing Williams would take a hometown discount. Franchise tags assign a value to a player and that number becomes the starting point — not the consensus middle ground — for average annual salary on a multiyear extension.

“You changed the expectations by putting the tag on him,” said CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry, a former agent. “The smarter play would have been to put the [cheaper] transition tag on him, see what the interest is and let the market dictate the deal while you still have matching rights. A franchise tag for him is a mulligan. A guy who had a career year is unhappy because he risks injury. You gave Leonard a gift.”

Here is a closer look at Williams’ deal from various angles:

Comparison

The Chiefs tagged defensive tackle Chris Jones at $16.1 million, but the sides agreed Tuesday to a four-year, $85 million extension, with $60 million guaranteed. Williams was seeking about $18 million per year.

The comparison? Jones has 24.5 sacks in the past two seasons. Williams has 17.5 sacks in his five-year career, including a half-sack last season.

Sacks make defensive linemen rich — even on the interior — and Williams’ strength is stopping the run. He had the greatest difference in the NFL among his pressure rate (11.3 percent, 19 quarterback hits) and his sack rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Giants ranked No. 22 in the league in rushing defense before the trade but only climbed to No. 20 after Williams replaced B.J. Hill as a starter.

Grievance

Like Williams, the Steelers’ Bud Dupree and Buccaneers’ Shaq Barrett also filed franchise-tag grievances seeking the $17.7 million for defensive ends, not the $15.8 million for outside linebackers.

Jadeveon Clowney refused to sign his outside linebacker tender in 2019 and was traded to the Seahawks. The Ravens and Terrell Suggs compromised on the difference in pay between two positions in 2008.

The deciding factor in such cases generally defaults to Xs and Os. Williams played 464 snaps at defensive tackle compared to 257 at defensive end in 2019, according to PFF. The change in Giants’ coaching staffs and defensive systems could prompt an argument of different usage in 2020.

Tight end Jimmy Graham lost a grievance to be paid like a wide receiver in 2014 by the Saints despite lining up for 67 percent of his snaps in the slot or out wide.

The arrow is pointing in the Giants’ favor.

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Compensatory Pick

Because of their own spending this offseason on free agents James Bradberry and Blake Martinez, the Giants would not have received a compensatory pick in the 2021 NFL Draft if they did not tag Williams and he signed elsewhere.

By keeping Williams for another season, there is a chance the Giants could be rewarded with an extra pick somewhere in the third through seventh rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft if he leaves next offseason for a bigger contract than any incoming free agent signs. The Giants are projected to have $35 million in cap space.

If Williams delivers a breakthrough year, the Giants will have traded two draft picks and paid $16 million-$18 million in 2020 for the right to outbid other teams in March.

What Could Have Been

No matter his final salary, Williams is eating cap space that could have been spread over three or four starters in free agency.

One possible combination: Cornerback Logan Ryan at $8 million-$10 million, plus outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins ($3.75 million, Jets) after an eight-sack season, plus defensive tackle Beau Allen ($3.75 million, Patriots). Add in rookie center Matt Hennessey ($610,000, Falcons) as a third-round pick if the trade never happened.