Loading ...The wait and standoff is now over. The New York Giants and two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Osi Umenyiora have agreed on a restructured contract that will keep the Chief in blue for at least one more season.
“I appreciate Osi’s patience and effort through this process,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “We talked it out, and it makes sense for everybody involved. We are very pleased, excited and looking forward to seeing number 72 on the field at Monday’s OTA.”
Umenyiora is expected to return to the team on Monday for voluntary Organized Team Activities (OTAs), and says he is "All In."
“This gives me peace of mind, definitely,” Umenyiora said. “We just resolved a situation. It really was affecting me in a bad way. Because I didn’t like all the negativity that was surrounding the whole situation. I couldn’t stand it, because if you know me, you know I’m not that type of person. I’m just happy all that is over with and I’ll be there. I’ll play out this contract, I’ll play this year and I’ll play my heart out.”
Financial details of this new contract have not yet been revealed, but whatever the agreement is, it seems to have pleased Umenyiora. In all likelihood, the team simply added more guaranteed money to Osi's final year without any sort of extension. It will be enough to get him on the field this season, but may still be his final year with New York.
“I’m just happy, I’m happy all that’s over with,” Umenyiora said. “It’s time to get back to work. It was definitely frustrating [not being on the field this spring], but hearing some of the things they said, whether it was Kiwi or Tuck or JPP or Antrel – hearing the way they supported me, it made me want to come back even more and be around them. Those guys really stepped up for me. I really appreciate it and I’m happy to be here with them.”
Umenyiora fired his agent, Tony Agnone, on Thursday, saying he had come to the conclusion that he didn't believe Agnone could help him with the current situation. Apparently he was correct, as the two sides came to a new agreement in less than 24 hours after the agent was terminated.
Giants 101 will update the situation with contract details as they become available.
UPDATE: Albert Breer of NFL Network reports the restructured deal is worth between $7 – $7.5 million and contains a voidable year to soften the cap hit. However, various New York beat writers are reporting no additional years have been added to the deal.
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Kujo and I already broke the news! You’re late! LOL!
Check time stamps. ;-) We beat you by 60 seconds.
“This gives me peace of mind, definitely,” Umenyiora said. “We just resolved a situation. It really was affecting me in a bad way. Because I didn’t like all the negativity that was surrounding the whole situation. I couldn’t stand it, because if you know me, you know I’m not that type of person. I’m just happy all that is over with and I’ll be there. I’ll play out this contract, I’ll play this year and I’ll play my heart out.”
WOW!!!! Cannot wait to see what this deal was. No matter what, it means we get 100% effort this season and, at worst, a trade after that to a team that knowing Osi’s deal will take it and give us a valuable draft pick in exchange. At best, Osi plays for another 3-4 years for us and we continue to have the greatest pass rush ever seen in the NFL.
Once again, Jerry Reese shows he’s truly great. And Osi shows he’s a great teammate.
Now THIS is the way to end a week at 5pm on a Friday! All hail the CHIEF! Kuddos to JR for holding his ground. I am VERY excited from an on-field football perspective but I am curious what the contract looks like. I will be shocked if it ressembles the crazy DE contracts signed in the last 12 months around the league. I hope this turns out to be a win/win type contract.
We can only assume it is. I can’t imagine JR taking this long and then winding up giving away the farm. It would have to be a win/win for JR to agree to it…..imo.
well said.
Wow! I’m shocked! I never expected this but as an Osi fan I’m happy.
I wonder how we deal with Tuck? How can we keep Osi, Tuck & Kiwi? I guess we are ok for a few years before JPP gets his money and while Tuck is still under contract.
So as I am finishing my day listening to Pandora…what else comes on but Alicia Keys singing Empire State of Mind! This song gets me jacked for NYG football!!!
Let’s just wait to see the terms of this contract before we get all excited…
Next you’re gonna claim there’s no Santa Claus.
But I cannot help noticing that the headline went from an “extension” of the contract to a “restructuring” of the contract. The good news is we get all-out effort in 2012. I’m hoping there’s more but we need to see details. I assumed we’d get the effort in any case.
stop pooping on our party. first the news on Brown and now this adds up to a pretty good day in Giant land.
Worthless restructuring. Buys us nothing. Instead of paying Osi $4 million for his last year with the Giants we get to pay him $7 million. Duh !!!
Unless there’s more to this deal … it’s a joke. In fact if I were Reese one of the conditions would be that it would be kept completely secret. This is one “restructuring” I’d never want my fellow GMs to find out about.
Who is the new agent? I want him to come to work with me.
Agent: We would like you to give us 3 million extra.
Giants: In exchange, we will get?
Agent: Absolutely nothing.
Giants: Deal!!!!
I Disagree. What this buys the Giants is the ability to amicably deal with Osi later this year or next year on a further extension should the situation warrant it.
While he may still be too rich for our blood next year, that simply cannot be answered right now. Too much can change about this roster between now and March 2013 to know how valuable Osi could be to us for another 3 years. (A knee injury to Tuck or JPP for example).
Basically all it costs us (besides Mara & Tisch cash) is a couple million in cap wiggle room. It’s unlikely we’d be dealing with any acquisitions from this point forward who will cost more than $1M deals anyway. It also sends the message that “at the end of the day” the Giants DID take care of their guy who had been outplaying his contract.
Bottom line, JR used cap room he felt comfortable that he will no longer need this year to buy good will and positive image among the players as a whole.
If the world were a theoretical utopia I might agree with you. But in reality I think it is more likely that the precedent set here leads to more disgruntled whining when players get near the end of their contracts. Time will tell on this one.
I see your point, but I don’t really think that applies any more since Osi is now in his final year. It’s not that strange to rework a deal in its final year. Not giving the giants anything in return is indeed strange (if that proves to be true), but they didn’t really give him that much either. Just a couple million they had left when they felt they were done with acquisitions to a guy everybody basically agrees has been underpaid for several years.
I’m confused. Happy, but confused. Reese added more money to his 2012, essentially, just to void it next year, where he could have sat tight at $3M and have the same result when he becomes a FA? I see this as he’s still in town next year, unless I’m missing something (which is possible, because I’m exhausted and cooking victory steaks).
What is really going to tick me off is if he tears an ACL during OTA’s that he otherwise would have skipped.
Now I see why the Cowgirls didn’t resign this bum. Really 291 pounds at the TE position is really ridiculous. I was very curious what type of player we were getting with Bennett then I read he reports to OTA’s looking like Rick Ross. Hopefully the locker room and Coughlin will handle this ASAP!!!