For so long with Leonard Williams, it was more about what he wasn’t doing, the sacks he wasn’t getting, the impact he wasn’t making in a game that ended in a loss forever .
His early time with the Giants made it seem as if the big defensive task needed something different, something that would have to be different for this relationship to work.
That did not happen, and so far Williams has been tied with the Giants for three more years.
“I didn’t change for anyone,” Williams said on Thursday. “I did not listen to any outside noise and tried to be a different man. I just kept playing my game and giving my best, competing, and I’m really glad that this organization took a chance on me and it worked. “
It works sensationally for Williams, evicted from the Tiffany pen he was given to sign for a three-year, $ 63 million contract the Giants gave him to set up a center for his defense. With one setback, Williams became the highest-paid defensive player in franchise history and only behind Aaron Donald of the Rams, as far as the annual salary for an NFL defensive lineman.
Comes with money, if not more responsibility, certainly more visibility. More pressure comes, like it or not.
“I don’t think so,” Williams said. “If I allow the pressure to sink in or if I allow the outside noise to drown in it, then allow that fun to take off that allows me to play well. I don’t want to think about what kind of pressure, what other people are thinking. I just want to do the best for my team, be a good leader and give this team as much as I can. That’s why they brought me back, for that. I do not want to stress this too much.
Once the reindeer rolls in, these players’ emotions are often heard. Some can handle this. Many can not.
“It’s sad for me to hear that people fall down after paying or whatever,” Williams said. “For me, it’s not really about the money. I wanted a long-term contract for stability, I wanted to be here long-term and I wanted to play with this coaching staff.”
Not that Williams is unfamiliar with expectations. The Jets selected him at No. 6 in the 2015 NFL Draft. He was traded to the Giants at Midtenson in 2019 and played on the $ 16.1 million franchise tag in 2020. He exploded for a career-high 11.5 sacks and was handled by head coach Joe Judge, defensive coordinator Patrick Graham and defensive line coach Sean Spencer.
“I do a good job under a coaching staff,” said Williams, who tries to get the best of you by pushing you forward. “I thrive well under an environment that pushes you.”
Williams was playing with Dalvin Tomlinson, but the pair were short-lived. The Giants could not fit Tomlinson, a team captain with their salary-cap restrictions, and signed a two-year, $ 22 contract with the Vikings.
“It was fun to play with him, we had a good relationship, we had a good relationship,” Williams said. “He was a good leader, he was a good blue-collar, hard-working guy, I learned from him. He never misses a day, never shows up late, he was a reliable kind of guy.”
Some of that leadership void must now be raised by Williams.
“They paid me for the man I am,” he said. “They brought me back here for the man I am. I don’t want to change too much, I just want to get better. Being a leader and being an example is definitely an important part of the reason why they brought me back and I am going to do a great job of showing the next generation or new people coming in the same.
“I just love this organization. I love the way the coaching is being given here under the coach judge and his staff. I love the way they treat people, I love the people they are bringing to the building. Overall it just seemed like a good fit and I’m glad to be back. “
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