‘I was shocked’ at the return - A Giants fan’s take on Seahawks’ trade for Leonard Williams

The Seattle Seahawks made a splash move along the defensive line in free agency by signing Dre’Mont Jones, and now they’ve done the same before the trade deadline. On Monday the Seahawks acquired Leonard Williams from the New York Giants for a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder.

Seattle will only be on the hook for a small portion of Williams’ salary the remainder of this season, but it comes at the cost of considerable draft capital. Williams is also a free agent at the end of this season, so there’s every possibility that the Seahawks gave up a second-round pick for a 10-game rental.

If you take a look at Big Blue View, their commenters seem to love this deal.

All things considered, it’s less of a “Williams sucks” reaction more than it is getting a second-round pick for an expiring contract. If you haven’t figured it out by now, the Giants are probably missing the playoffs and need some draft capital.

I asked Big Blue View managing editor Ed Valentine for his thoughts on the trade, and here’s what he had to say:

Leonard Williams is a good player, although I’m not sure he is the same player he was a couple of years ago. He is also a good guy who cares about winning.

I was shocked at what the Giants were able to get for him — a 2024 second-round pick and a 2025 fifth-rounder. Of course, the Giants ate almost all of the $10 million base salary he was owed.

Williams is a free agent at season’s end. I would think giving up that much means the Seahawks intend to keep him beyond this season. Word of warning that he won’t come cheap. Williams historically drives a hard bargain.

As a player, you can move him around the line of scrimmage and he can do a lot of things. What he doesn’t usually do is compile huge numbers.

Three years ago, Williams had a career-high 11.5 sacks in his first season with the Giants. Those sack numbers have dropped precipitously with each year, and he has just 1.5 in 2023. His gaudy stats aren’t as pronounced as we saw initially with the Giants and while he was with the New York Jets.

Williams’ versatility is something Pete Carroll touted after the trade was announced.

“He can play anywhere,” Carroll said. “He can play five-technique, he can play three-technique and he plays on the center as well. He’s done all of that. He brings a lot of versatility.”

Hey, we already got Julian Love and he’s performed better since his slow start to the season. Let’s see how acquiring a higher-end former Giants starter works out.