New York Giants safety Landon Collins could hit the free-agent market in March and reports seem to indicate he is prepared to move on from the team, the Giants do have an alternative: using a franchise tag.
New York has two weeks to place a tag on Collins, which would prevent him from earning a long-term deal on the open market. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network says that that is exactly what the Giants will do.
However, Garafolo added that if the Giants do elect to go that route, Collins will apparently sit out the offseason in search of a long-term contract.
If Collins ends up playing out the 2019 campaign on a franchise tag, he will earn $12 million.
The 25-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Alabama, was originally selected by New York in the second round (33rd pick overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft.
He played in all 16 games during his rookie campaign, finishing with 108 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble, and nine passes defended.
Then, the following year, Collins broke out, racking up 125 tackles, four sacks, five picks, a fumble recovery, 13 passes defended, and a defensive touchdown en route to making the Pro Bowl and earning a First-Team All-Pro selection.
Collins then made another trip to Honolulu in 2017 after totaling 99 stops, two interceptions, a forced fumble, a couple of fumble recoveries, and six passes defended.
This past season, the New Orleans native was limited to just 12 games due to a shoulder injury that required surgery, but he still logged 96 tackles and a forced fumble while making another Pro Bowl.
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