Leonard Williams worked long and hard to secure a lucrative long-term contract from the New York Giants but he might be willing to give some of that back in order to remain in East Rutherford.
Williams, who is coming off an injured-plagued year, signed a three-year, $63 million deal prior to the 2021 season. He is owed a base salary of $18 million in 2023 with a total cap hit of $32.26 million.
Those bloated numbers make Williams a potential salary cap casualty. It also means the Giants have less to work with if they want to sign Dexter Lawrence to a long-term contract extension.
But if it means remaining with the Giants while also keeping Lawrence in blue, Williams would consider a straight pay cut.
Leonard Williams says he’d “consider” taking a pay cut to remain with the #Giants because “I want to play with Dex (Lawrence) as long as possible.”
Admits that’s something he hasn’t really thought about yet, though — needs to talk with his agent pic.twitter.com/J59T7KC8Mj
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) January 22, 2023
“I love this team and I want to play for them for sure. And I want to play alongside Dex for as long as possible,” Williams said. “I would probably consider (a pay cut). I definitely love this team and I want to be here.”
Williams credited Lawrence with helping him individually and pointed out that the pair are among the most dominant interior duo in the league.
Whether or not Williams’ agent would advise him to take a pay cut or whether general manager Joe Schoen would even request he take one remains to be seen. But it’s clear The Big Cat genuinely loves the Giants and truly wants to remain side-by-side with Lawrence.
