The New York Giants are letting three-time Pro-Bowl safety Landon Collins hit free agency without even fighting to keep him heading into 2019.
That, in and of itself, is an egregious error — one of many the Giants have made on the personnel side in recent years.
But new information has emerged that shows just how badly New York has botched the Landon Collins situation. According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, a team wanted to trade its first-round pick to the Giants last year around the trade deadline. The Giants refused.
A team was willing to trade a 1st-rounder to the Giants for Landon Collins at this year’s deadline but “they wouldn’t do it,” per @nfldraftscout on @sticktofootball podcast pic.twitter.com/mR7Bu0O9uh
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) March 6, 2019
Now, the Giants are going to get something for Collins. Next year, when the compensatory picks are released, they’ll land a mid-round pick. But when compared to a first-round pick, or heck, even keeping the 25-year-old star, that’s a pittance.
It’s hard to discern what the team’s long-term plan is. The Giants haven’t been relevant since winning the Super Bowl following the 2011 season, barring one playoff appearance in 2016. Based on the way things have gone in recent years, that string of mediocrity appears to be getting an extension.