Landon Collins Agrees to Contract With Giants; Will Fly to London to Join Team

Safety Landon Collins told Josina Anderson of CBS Sports on Thursday that he signed with the New York Giants.

Collins also said he will join the team in London for their game against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, although it is unclear if he will play.

Collins became a free agent on March 10 when the Washington Commanders released him after three seasons with the team.

According to ESPN's John Keim, the move was likely motivated by the salary cap, as cutting Collins saved Washington $6.6 million against the cap. Collins had three years left on his deal when he got released and was due to count for $16.2 million against the cap in 2022.

Keim added that the Commanders tried to work out a restructure to lower Collins' cap number, but they were unable to come to terms.

The 28-year-old Collins is a seven-year NFL veteran who was originally selected by the Giants in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft out of Alabama.

Collins was one of the NFL's top safeties during his four-year run in New York, earning three Pro Bowl nods and one First-Team All-Pro selection.

His best season came in 2016 when he set career highs across the board with 125 tackles, five interceptions, four sacks and 13 passes defended en route to finishing third in the NFL Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Coming off his third Pro Bowl selection in 2018, Collins signed a six-year, $84 million contract with Washington in free agency.

Collins did not add to his Pro Bowl count during his three years with the Commanders, but he was still a productive player when healthy.

After posting 117 tackles in 15 games during the 2019 season, Collins missed nine games in 2020 because of a torn Achilles.

Collins then missed four games last season with a foot injury, but he still put up solid numbers with 81 tackles, three sacks and two interceptions.

Because of Washington's issues at linebacker, Collins was called upon to play some linebacker last season in addition to his safety duties.

That added versatility perhaps made him even more attractive to teams on the free-agent market.

Ultimately, the Giants managed to land Collins and beefed up both their secondary and run-stopping ability in the process.

By signing with the Giants, Collins goes back to where it all began for him in the NFL, although it is an entirely new regime.

First-year head coach Brian Daboll has the Giants exceeding expectations with a 3-1 record thanks largely to hard-nosed play, and Collins should be able to help contribute in that regard.

Collins may not be a Pro Bowl-caliber player like he once was, but he still has the ability to provide some quality snaps and help control the opposing running game.