Despite his modest career sack total, Leonard Williams believes he deserves to be paid like an elite interior defensive lineman. And if the Giants don’t offer him top-tier money, he is prepared to hit free agency, he told NJ Advance Media.

Williams is sick and tired of losing. The Jets traded him to the Giants earlier this season, and Williams is 1-10 this year, entering Monday night’s Giants-Eagles game. Over the past three-plus seasons, Williams is 15-44. He hasn’t played for a winner since 2015, his rookie year.

As Williams prepares for his sixth season in 2020, he knows the clock is ticking on his career, if only because the NFL’s earning window is so short. Williams turns 26 in June. He is ready to finally start winning, and he needs to determine if he can do that with the rebuilding Giants.

“I know that I want to get a big contract, and I know that I am worth a lot,” Williams said, adding that it’s “definitely a logical possibility" that he will test free agency.

The Giants have exclusive negotiating rights with Williams until March 16. But they can’t force him to re-sign with them.

“If I don’t think they’re giving me what I think I’m worth, then obviously I think hitting free agency would make sense,” Williams said. "Everything is going to have to match up.

“I definitely think I’m a top-tier interior defensive lineman, in that top percentage of the d-linemen. I wouldn’t say Aaron Donald [level]. But I would definitely put myself up there with a lot of those other top guys.”

And Williams said he deserves to get paid like that.

Still, here’s the reality for Williams, a former No. 6 overall draft pick: He has zero sacks this season and just 17 in his career, compared to 97 quarterback hits (including 12 this year).

The Giants could be the team doing that paying, since Williams is potentially opening to re-signing with them before March 16, when league-wide free agency negotiating opens.

“Yeah, I would be, if I felt like they were offering me something that I think is worth it,” he said.

While testing free agency would make perfectly reasonable sense for Williams, he appreciates that the Giants traded for him.

“I like to be committed to where I’m at," Williams said. “I like the fact that the GM and the owner wanted me here. I think it speaks volumes that they were willing to trade for me in a rebuilding year. I think that shows that they want me to be a part of this program."

Giants general manager Dave Gettleman sent a third-round draft pick to the Jets, plus a fifth-rounder that becomes a fourth-rounder if Williams signs a contract extension with the Giants. So Gettleman can ill afford to lose Williams in free agency. He paid a large price for Williams.

Wherever Williams winds up next year, he desperately wants to win. He went 10-6 as a rookie in 2015 with the Jets, and then 5-11, 5-11, and 4-12, before this year’s 1-10, two-team mess.

“This has definitely been one of the hardest years,” Williams said. “I want to win, and I think it’s time. I want to be able to have some winning years, even if that’s just making it to the playoffs. I at least want to do that. I think it would be hard for me to sit back in retirement and think about never being able to have played in the playoffs.”

He knows that a good chunk of his NFL career is already gone, five years in.

“I’ve thought about that,” he said. "I’m tired of losing. It’s near the end of the season, around this time, when it’s cold — and you’re not playing for the playoffs. You’re putting your body through all this stuff, and you want to have something to show for it. It kind of sucks to have nothing really to show for it.

"You want to be able to be playing for a championship near the end of the season, after all this mental and physical stuff that you go through. That’s really it — the payoff to the hard work. Literally every year, I feel something more and more getting banged up on my body.

“Mentally, it’s tough being in this league, and then also knowing how short of a span this career really is. I definitely want to be able to have something to walk away from this game with. I don’t want to beat my body up and only walk away with money, because it’s not just about money for me. I want to be able to have some things to walk away with, some accomplishments."

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Even though the Giants are rebuilding and might not be ready to win big next season, Williams understands the NFC East is a fairly weak division right now. That could play in the Giants’ favor, as Williams considers their contract offer.

“I do know that this team is rebuilding and has a lot to work on," Williams said. "But the division itself does as well. It adds a little bit of hope to what this team is able to do next year. You have to look at all the possibilities.”

NFL analyst Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater.