Out of playoff contention, the New York Jets started to address their future, trading defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the New York Giants for draft picks, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Jets will receive a third-round pick this year and a fifth-rounder in 2021, a source told Schefter. The fifth-round pick in 2021 will become a fourth-rounder if Williams signs an extension with the Giants before the start of the 2021 league year. The Jets are paying $4 million of Williams’ $6 million salary this year.
The Jets are loading up as they head into another rebuilding cycle, this time under first-year general manager Joe Douglas.
The Jets decided to part with Williams, drafted sixth in 2015, after concluding he’s not part of their long-term plan. He’s only 25 years old, but he’s making $14.2 million and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season.
Instead of reinvesting in Williams, whom sources believe will command at least $10 million a year on the open market, Douglas opted for draft capital.
The Jets, reeling under first-year coach Adam Gase, are 1-6, mainly because of an anemic offense. They travel to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Williams hasn’t missed a game in four-plus seasons, but he’s considered a disappointment because he hasn’t produced as a pass-rusher. He has 17 career sacks, including only two in the past 18 games.
The current and previous coaching staffs defended Williams, saying he was strong against the run and helped others by drawing frequent double-teams. In the end, though, he never became the dynamic player that many expected.
In 2015, the Jets were stunned and happy that Williams slipped to them with the sixth pick. Some evaluators in the league felt he was the best prospect in the draft.
He was the first choice of former GM Mike Maccagnan, who was fired in May. His 2015 draft is wiped out. Not one player remains on the roster.
In recent days. Williams took a pragmatic approach to the trade rumors. He said he wanted to remain with the Jets and that he was comfortable in New York, but he also said, “What’s cool about it is, it’s not this or the streets,” he said. “Either I’m playing for the Jets or I’m playing somewhere. At the end of the day, I’m still going to be playing. I feel like I have a lot of years left in me in my career.”