New York Giants: Landon Collins set to leave, G-Men options
By Ed Stein
Faced with the reality he couldn’t get a satisfactory deal done, New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman is allowing pending UFA Landon Collins leave.
Even when things were going bad for the New York Giants over the last four years, one thing Big Blue fans could count on was Landon Collins strength in the secondary. Now they will have to count on someone else. Collins initial four-year contract, signed prior to his rookie season in 2015, will expire on March 13. Faced with a tight a cap and Collins’ potential high salary, the team is ready to let the safety walk away in free agency.
It’s a hard pill to swallow. The 25-year-old, New Orleans, Louisiana native has been nothing short of stellar on the field since he first set foot on it wearing a Giants uniform in 2015. Over those four seasons, Collins was selected to the Pro Bowl three times and was an All-Pro once. He made 428 career tackles, with eight interceptions.
Collins intangibles are what the New York Giants will miss the most. Despite his youth, Collins was the unquestioned leader of the defense. Last year, he was the unit’s captain, replacing Jonathan Casillas. He wanted the job and lobbied for it in the media. He told Greg Joyce of the New York Post:
"“If you know me, then you know that’s an easy question, yeah, I definitely want to be the captain of this defense one of these years,” he said. “If you’re losing, you definitely need [leadership], and when you’re winning, you especially need it because you need to keep everybody focused.”"
As the Giants 2018 season was being flushed down the tubes, Collins averaged eight tackles per game. That was until he tore his labrum against the Chicago Bears on December 2. His injury required surgery to repair the damage, which he had the following week. He missed the final four games of the season. Recovery time for this type of surgery is four to six months, which means Collins won’t be cleared for contact until right before training camps open.
It’s possible his journey with the G-Men isn’t over yet.