Landon Collins thrilled to rejoin Giants, ready to show he's still got it
Landon Collins #26 of the Washington Football Team walks across the field before the game against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. Credit: Getty Images
Six years ago, Landon Collins was a first-team All-Pro safety for the Giants.
On Wednesday, he found himself back with his old team, but this time as a practice squad member working as a linebacker, primarily in dime packages.
Yet Collins called the situation “a dream come true.”
Such is the current state of his career. He is only 28, but he was a free agent when the Giants added him last week, then had him join the team in London.
Now he will bide his time, getting acclimated to a new staff and a locker room full of strangers as he hopes for a chance to get activated and into a game.
“I’m just happy to be back playing,” he said.
Collins was a three-time Pro Bowler when Washington signed him in 2019 to a six-year, $84 million contract. He failed to live up to that deal, in part because of injuries, including a torn Achilles tendon in 2020. Washington released him this past offseason.
Collins said he hopes to show people that, “I’ve still got it. I've been injury prone for the past, what two years, three years? So that's my biggest downfall right now.
“But other than that, I’ve still got it. I'm still playmaker. I'm still a baller. And I love this game.”
Collins emphasized that he had nothing against the Giants or their fans when he left, but rather that he was bitter only toward former general manager Dave Gettleman.
“It sucked,” he said. “I wanted to stay, honestly wanted to stay, but like I said, Gettleman didn't want me here.”
Collins admitted being on the practice squad is “humbling,” but he said he is willing to be patient to work himself onto the field.
“I’m not in any rush,” he said. “I'm not going to go on the field and be the reason why something bad happens. So I’m going to take my time to try to get everything right.”
Neil Best first worked at Newsday in 1982, returned in 1985 after a detour to Alaska and has been here since, specializing in high schools, college basketball, the NFL and most recently sports media and business.
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