When the New York Giants traded defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for a pair of draft picks, it came as a surprise to many.
The trade of Williams himself wasn’t the shocker, it was the return: a 2024 second-round draft choice and a 2025 fifth-round choice.
It was a deal too good to pass up for general manager Joe Schoen, but he would have if Williams wanted to remain in East Rutherford.
Brandon Parker, Williams’ agent, told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post that the Giants gave Williams a veto option.
“Normally I certainly wouldn’t speak on the record about a team, because that’s a mutual respect thing,” Parker said. “Because I was so blown away, in a good way, how the Giants handled this situation, I actually want there to be good things said about this front office.”
Williams had previously praised the Giants for how they handled the trade, but he left out the part about how Schoen gave him veto power.
“It was a hard decision for Leonard,” Parker added. “It wasn’t, ‘I want to get out of here,’ and they certainly weren’t like, ‘We want to ship you out.’ It was more like, this would probably be best for both sides.
“There weren’t any tears shed, but there were close to some tears shed from people in that front office when they went to say goodbye to Leonard. That was real.”
With Seattle, Williams has a chance to chase the playoffs and potentially a Super Bowl before becoming a free agent next season. The Giants, meanwhile, were able to add to their draft capital as they continue their attempt to rebuild a declining franchise.
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