Sources: Giants, DL Williams reach $63M deal

NFL

The New York Giants and twice-franchised defensive lineman Leonard Williams reached agreement on a three-year, $63 million deal that includes $45 million fully guaranteed on Tuesday, sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The Giants placed the franchise tag on Williams before the March 9 deadline, the second straight year that Williams was tagged. He was scheduled make approximately $19.35 million for the 2021 season on the franchise tender without an extension, which the two sides had until July 15 to agree upon.

Williams is coming off a career-best season where he finished with 11.5 sacks and 30 quarterback hits, good for third in the NFL. His 41 quarterback pressures were seventh among interior defensive linemen, according to NextGen Stats.

It was quite the turnaround for the former first-round pick of the New York Jets in his first full season with the New York Giants. He thrived under coach Joe Judge and in the defensive system of coordinator Patrick Graham.

Williams, 26, was credited with half a sack the previous season which he split between the Giants and the Jets. It was the latest in an unspectacular first five seasons in the NFL after being the sixth overall selection out of USC in the 2015 NFL draft.

Regardless, the Giants traded a pair of mid-round draft picks for Williams midway through the 2019 season, just months before he was set to become a free agent. They placed the franchise tag on him last offseason, and he played on the one-year deal worth $16.126 million.

With his first double-digit sack season, Williams proved he was worth that and much more as one of the NFL’s most productive defensive linemen. His previous high for sacks in a season was seven in 2016.

For his career, Williams has totaled 323 tackles and 29 sacks.

ESPN’s Jordan Raanan contributed to this report.

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