The New York Giants are reportedly going to place the franchise tag on defensive lineman, Leonard Williams.
Here’s the latest from ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deadline to tag players will hit on Monday at 11:59 a.m. ET, so this move is a must if the Giants can’t reach a long-term deal with Williams before then and want to avoid him hitting free agency.
Letting Williams go at this point simply isn’t an option for general manager Dave Gettleman. After all, he sent two picks to the Jets in a trade to acquire the defensive lineman last season, even though he simply could have signed Williams outright when he hit free agency this offseason.
Placing the tag on Williams means he can’t negotiate with other teams (assuming it’s the exclusive tag, which is probably is), and it will give the Giants more time to negotiate a long-term contract with the former No. 6 overall pick.
The deadline to hammer out a multi-year deal with a player on the franchise tag is July 15.
