Despite sitting at 2-6, the New York Giants were a trade-deadline buyer.
Big Blue acquired former first-round pick Leonard Williams from the New York Jets in exchange for a third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-rounder, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday, per a source informed. The fifth-rounder could become a fourth if the Giants re-sign Williams before the start of the new league year, Rapoport added. The Jets will also eat $4 million of the balance of Williams' contract this year.
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2015 draft, Williams is in the final year of his rookie contract.
The Jets had been dangling the 25-year-old defensive tackle, who the team had no plans to re-sign, as trade bait ahead of Tuesday's deadline. Gang Green finally found a buyer in its New York rivals.
Adding Williams gives Giants GM Dave Gettleman another big piece for the wall he's been building since trading Damon "Snacks" Harrison at last year's deadline. Williams joins 2019 first-round pick Dexter Lawrence, 2017 second-round pick Dalvin Tomlinson, and 2018 third-round pick B.J. Hill on the Giants' defensive front.
It will be interesting to see the lengths to which Gettleman goes to attempt to re-sign Williams after giving up picks that could be high in their respective rounds.
Giants coach Pat Shurmur was on a conference call with reporters when the trade leaked but declined to comment until the swap was official.
Trading away a top-10 pick for two mid-round selections isn't what anyone imagined the night Williams was drafted. However, general manager Joe Douglas got what he could for a player who wasn't in the team's future plans. The Jets could have gotten a third-round compensatory pick in 2021 had Williams signed a big deal elsewhere in free agency. Instead, Douglas got the third-round pick a year early and added a sweetener in the future five.
Both the Jets and Giants might not be done dealing before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline. Rapoport reported that Gang Green continues to shop receiver Robby Anderson, while Big Blue is open to dealing corner Janoris Jenkins, linebacker Alec Ogletree and maybe offensive tackle Nate Solder.
