The expectation was that the Giants would not use the franchise tag on safety Landon Collins before today’s 4 p.m. deadline.
They didn’t wait all afternoon.
Via multiple reports, the Giants have told their free agent safety they would not use the franchise tag on him, allowing him to walk into free agency with no compensation (beyond a possible 2020 compensatory pick).
Tagging Collins would have cost $11.15 million, which you could easily justify for a 25-year-old with three Pro Bowls on his resume.
He’ll now enter a market that is dense at his position — which means not everyone is getting paid.
With Earl Thomas, Tyrann Mathieu, Lamarcus Joyner, and others hitting free agency at what has traditionally been a slow-to-pay position, it could be hard for all of them to cash in.
