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New York Giants news, 2/13: Should Giants play ‘tag’ with Leonard Williams?

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Keeping DL Leonard Williams would be costly for Giants - New York Giants Blog- ESPN

Here, Jordan Ranaan explains the franchise and transition tags and lays out why Williams could get more money from the Giants his production would deem reasonable. He writes:

What the Giants do have at their disposal for Williams is the franchise or transition tag. The franchise tag — if Williams is considered a defensive tackle — could marry him to the Giants for one season at $16 million, which would be a rather exorbitant price for a player with his production.

The transition tag is expected to be in the $13 million range, but would allow teams to make an offer for Williams and, if the Giants opted not to match, would bring back no compensation. However, it seems unlikely another team would submit an offer knowing the Giants would be inclined to match anything reasonable.

That’s why Williams has incredible leverage. Agents often build their demands around these numbers knowing the tags are the fallback options. It makes sense for Williams’ demands to begin in the $16 million-a-year range (and not dip below $13 million), even if it’s beyond what his play dictates.

Two executives believe Williams will get in the $8 million to $12 million range. That’s less than either tag would bring. A third source believes his deal will land in the $12 million to $16 million neighborhood, because the tags are the alternative options if Williams’ representation decides to play hardball.

No matter how it plays out, it will almost certainly be a win for a player who one executive said had a “historically awful contract year.”

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