Tag Archive: jerry reese

The New York Giants have announced that they’ve restructured the contract of defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who is currently entering the final year of his current contract.

“I appreciate Osi’s patience and effort through this process,” Giants 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.”

We don’t have the details of the agreement, but I would guess that the Giants gave Osi a raise for 2012, then they’ll likely let him become a free agent after this season.

Umenyiora is very happy that the drama is over.

“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 (Justin) Tuck or JPP (Jason Pierre-Paul) or Antrel (Rolle) – 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.”

In an interview with ESPN Radio in New York via the New York Daily News, Giants general manager made it clear that he doesn’t take Osi Umenyiora’s critisicm of him personnel.  He dismissed Osi’s comments by saying that it’s just  “offseason chatter”.

“I don’t carry grudges,” Reese insisted. “That’s the offseason. That’s part of the job. In the offseason there’s always some controversies about contracts. It’s never personal. I don’t think it’s personal with respect to players. It’s definitely not personal with respect to me. It’s just part of the business.”

It may not be personal to Reese, but Umenyiora is clearly fuming for the second straight offseason after insisting that Reese never made him a real contract offer and claimed that he’s making him look like a “greedy pig.”

Despite Umenyiora’s strong words, Reese remains hopeful that something can be worked out.

“The New York Giants, we’re a better football team with Osi Umenyiora on our team,” Reese said. “We respect him as a football player. So our goal is to have Osi play football for the New York Giants and retire as a Giant. That’s what we’d like to do first.

“But all of our options are open like I said before.”

When Reese says all options are open, I believe he’s willing to trade Umenyiora, but I don’t believe there are any teams that are willing to give up the compensation the Giants are looking for.

I wouldn’t  be surprised if for the second straight season Umenyiora holds out.  Once again it won’t distract or have a negative affect on the Giants locker room.

Now that we’re about three months into another NFL offseason, it looks like another war between New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora and general manager Jerry Reese is brewing in the swamps of New Jersey.

Yesterday, during the Giants’ post-draft press conference, Reese claimed that he offered Umenyiora a contract extension last year as well as this offseason and that he rejected both offers.

According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, Umenyiora wrote an email to the NY Daily News explaining Reese’s “contract offers” to him.  He  said that last year’s offer wasn’t for an extension and that this year’s offer wasn’t much of an offer at all.

“Last year I was offered incentives.  This year they offered me in guaranteed money, HALF of what they just gave Kiwi guaranteed. HALF,” Umenyiora wrote, per the Daily News.  ”I’m not making that up. Then Jerry tells the world they offered me an extension and I turned it down. And I look like a greedy pig for turning it down. Hilarious.”

The Giants just gave linebacker/defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka a three-year, $21.75 million extension with $10.95 million guaranteed.

Osi is reportedly looking for a deal that’s worth an average of $10 million per season, with $15-$17 million guaranteed.

No one knows right now whether or not Umenyiora will be traded, but Reese did say “all options are open,” which tells me anything can happen at this point.

Now that the NFL draft has come and gone, defensive end Osi Umenyiora, the New York Giants once again didn’t trade him.  It sounds as if they were open to trading Osi during the draft.

“All options are open with respect to that,” general manager Jerry Reese said when asked if any deals had been discussed, per Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger.  “Our first choice with respect to Osi is he plays for the Giants and retires a Giant.”

Reese claimed that the Giants made an offer to Umenyiora last year as well as this offseason and he turned down both offers.

Reese still sounds like he’s willing to trade Osi for the right price.  I believe if the right offer is made for Umenyiora, the Giants will trade him, but it seems like teams aren’t willing to give up what the Giants want.

“We’d still like to make it work,” Reese said. “But all of our options are always open.”

New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of 2012 and general manager Jerry Reese made it clear during today’s pre-draft press conference that they plan on addressing his situation.

“There’s been a little bit of talk” about a contract extension for Osi Umenyiora. “It’s on our plate,” said Reese per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.

I could see them letting him walk in free agency after this season, given his age and health of his body.  He underwent knee surgery in training camp of last season to take care of an issue he was having and he’s still dealing with a lingering hip problem as far as I know.