What's going on with Giants' Landon Collins? Conflicting reports lead to questions
Conflicting reports on Wednesday afternoon created a bit of confusion about the status of New York Giants safety Landon Collins.
A second-round pick in 2015, Collins has been named to the Pro Bowl each of the last three years and was a first-team All-Pro pick in 2016. But he’s played out his four-year rookie contract, and doesn’t yet have a contract extension.
Collins is a candidate to get the franchise tag, which he’s said he doesn’t want, preferring a multi-year deal instead.
Report 1: Collins cleans out his locker
With that information as a backdrop, it was a bit confusing to see this tweet from ESPN’s Josina Anderson on Wednesday afternoon:
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
Anderson reported that Collins “cleaned out his locker” at the Giants’ team facility, and that he also said goodbye to teammates, coaches and trainers.
Report 2: Collins didn’t clean out his locker
About 40 minutes after Anderson’s report, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY reported the opposite:
Giants S Landon Collins' locker remains full of stuff, as of this hour, and he has not been informed of any decision on whether the team plans to use the "franchise tag" on him or not, according to a source. … So nothing new and nothing to see here.
— Ralph Vacchiano (@RVacchianoSNY) February 20, 2019
Collins’ locker “remains full of stuff,” Vacchiano wrote, adding that the Giants haven’t yet told Collins whether they intend to use the franchise tag on him.
In a second tweet, Vacchiano wrote a different source told him there’s “nothing new” when it comes to New York and Collins.
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo added a bit more context, tweeting that Collins did take personal items from his stall because he doesn’t expect to be at the facility for a while.
Tweet 3: Collins adds a confusing message
Collins is aware, to some extent, of what’s being reported about him. After one longtime New York beat writer, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, tweeted that Collins has not cleaned out his locker, Collins replied, “The stuff in that locker that I have left I do not need.”
The stuff in that locker that I have left I do not need💯
— LANDON COLLINS (@TheHumble_21) February 20, 2019
But did he just pick up some favorite items for an upcoming vacation? Or did he leave behind items that he’d like to see go in a trash bin?
As with other players, Collins could be franchise tagged against his wishes, but the Giants could use it as a placeholder to give the two sides more time to hammer out a contract.
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