New York Giants Pro Bowl safety Landon Collins could sit out team activities through the spring if franchise tagged.
The offseason for the New York Giants (and the NFL as a whole) is here. Let the drama commence.
On Wednesday, per a report from ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Big Blue safety Landon Collins “cleaned out his locker.” This, of course, comes in the midst of the fact that Collins is a leading candidate to be franchise tagged by the Giants this offseason.
His four-year rookie deal has expired, and it doesn’t seem like the Giants want to negotiate a long-term deal just yet.
I’m told that Giants S Landon Collins cleaned out his locker today at the team facility and said his goodbyes to teammates, coaches and trainers. It doesn’t seem like Collins expects to be a Giant for much longer, per sources.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) February 20, 2019
However, Collins seemed to refute this report. Or did he?
To be honest, the tweet from Collins in response to the news is too vague to figure out at this point. However, we may have an answer to that, courtesy of NFL.com’s Jeremy Bergman and NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
The stuff in that locker that I have left I do not need?
— LANDON COLLINS (@TheHumble_21) February 20, 2019
On #Giants S Landon Collins and @JosinaAnderson’s report, I gather he took personal items from his locker. He doesn’t expect to be at the facility for a while. Why? The franchise tag he publicly said he doesn’t want. But the smart money remains on Collins with NYG this year.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) February 20, 2019
“The safety, however, is unlikely to sign the tag right away and could sit out through the spring and summer as negotiations commence on a long-term deal, Garafolo reported,” writes Bergman.
That’s right. As I said, let the drama commence.
Collins could very well sit out spring activities and maybe even summer activities due to this. He doesn’t intend to sign the tag now and has made it clear he wants long-term, guaranteed money. He’s deserved it from the last few years, and Collins realizes that.
The franchise tag period in the NFL opened up on Tuesday and will last until Tuesday, Mar. 5. Until then, the Giants and Collins will have to work something out. I can’t see the Giants giving him that long-term deal now, so it’s either a tag or Collins will walk. I’m sure there are other teams in the league that will be desperate for a leader such as Collins.
This past year, 2015 second-round pick out of Alabama had a combined 96 tackles for the Giants. This led the team, and he only played 12 games throughout the year. Collins missed the final four games of the regular season due to a shoulder injury suffered in a week 13 30-27 win over the Bears.
Landon Collins mentioned in January that he wants to remain in New York and retire where he started.
