The New York Jets have traded defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the New York Giants in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick and a 2021 fifth-rounder, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Trade: Jets traded Leonard Williams to Giants for a 3 this year and a 5 in 2021, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 28, 2019
Williams, 25, was the No. 6 overall pick by the Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft out of USC. He played 71 out of a possible 71 games for the Jets in his four and a half seasons and recorded 17 sacks, 240 combined tackles, and two forced fumbles.
He is in the final year of his rookie contract which will pay him $14.2 million this year. He will be an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
Williams was a Pro Bowler in 2016 when he had 68 combined tackles and a career-high 7.0 sacks. Through seven games this season, Williams has 20 combined tackles but has yet to record a sack.
Williams' name has been involved in trade rumors over the past few weeks, with multiple teams reportedly interested in the young defensive lineman's services.
In the end, the Giants won the bidding war for Williams, who will be tasked to help prop up the Giants pass rush. Markus Golden has been a welcome surprise for the Giants this season. He currently leads the team with six sacks. However, no one else on the team has more than 2.5 sacks.
Williams will join a relatively young Giants defensive front that includes rookie first-rounder Dexter Lawrence, linebacker Lorenzo Carter, and 2017 second-rounder Dalvin Tomlinson.
The Giants apparently believe Williams can rediscover the form that made him a top-10 pick since they will most likely have to pay him a hefty contract this offseason after trading for him.
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