Leonard Williams is on the move for the second time in his career, and this time, he's joining a young and hungry defense out west.
The New York Giants are finalizing a deal to send Williams to the Seattle Seahawks, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport, Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero reported on Monday. New York will receive a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-round pick in exchange for the defensive lineman.
New York has since announced the trade.
Pelissero also added that Williams' subsequent contract restructure as part of the trade was the only one filed leaguewide on Monday, per sources, which means no other trades completed before Tuesday's trade deadline can involve teams paying down an existing contract.
Williams is becoming rather familiar with changing teams near the trade deadline. Four years ago, the Jets traded him to the Giants at the deadline in exchange for third- and fifth-round picks in what was a contract year for the USC product. The Giants ended up franchise-tagging Williams for 2020, then signed him to a three-year, $63 million extension a year later, one of many big-dollar decisions made by former general manager Dave Gettleman with little regard for the long-term future.
Now, Williams is moving west in order to provide the Giants with some financial flexibility. New York will take on a large portion of Williams' existing contract in exchange for the better draft compensation, which is better than what the Jets fetched for Williams back in 2019. While all in all it might sound like a minimally beneficial trade-off, considering New York's financial constraints of the last two years, any relief from a contract that carried a $32.26 million cap number in 2023 is still relief.
Williams recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks in his first full season with the Giants (2020), leading them to sign him to the aforementioned extension. He was envisioned as a key part of New York's defensive front, but at 29 years old and in the final year of his existing contract, he didn't quite fit in the Giants' long-term plans anymore, especially considering New York's 2-6 record through eight weeks.
There's no better time than the NFL's trade deadline (Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET) to make such a forward-thinking move. Seattle, meanwhile, lands another contributor for a defensive front that has enjoyed a top-10 showing against the run so far this season and features a breakout candidate in Boye Mafe.
As the Seahawks have already demonstrated in adding Frank Clark during the season, they sense the time is now to strike with veterans who can make a difference. They're hoping Williams becomes the latest to do just that in Seattle.
