It wouldn’t be a NFL offseason if defensive end Osi Umenyiora weren’t upset at the New York Giants.
In a sworn affidavit, Umenyiora plans to tell a federal court in Minnesota that the Giants reneged on a promise to renegotiate his contract. The affidavit will be used in the players’ antitrust suit against the owners.
In this sworn affidavit, Umenyiora says (via ESPN.com): “(GM Jerry) Reese told me that two years from the start of the 2008 league year, if I was currently playing at a high level, we’d either renegotiate my current contract so that it would be equal to that of the top five defensive ends playing or I would be traded to a team that would do that.”
Umenyiora goes on:
“After about an hour of discussing my current contract, as well as the contracts of other defensive ends currently playing in the National Football League, Mr. Reese told me that two years from the start of the 2008 league year, if I was currently playing at a high level, we’d either renegotiate my current contract so that it would be equal to that of the top five defensive ends playing or I would be traded to a team that would do that.
“Before leaving the meeting, I asked Mr. Reese twice if he was absolutely sure that would be the case. He then told me that he was an honest and church-going man and that he would not lie, which I believed to be the case. Under the penalty of perjury these statements are true and accurate.”
It wouldn’t be right for me to comment on whether or not Reese and the Giants screwed Umenyiora out of a new contract because after all – how would I know? I wasn’t in the room, hiding behind the big fake plant in the corner taping the entire conversation. If Umenyiora says Reese is an honest church-going man who lied to him about his contract situation then so be it. Let the courts figure the mess out.
But what I do know is that this isn’t good for the Giants. The last thing they want is for one of their players to question the credibility of the general manager. Umenyiora is essentially calling the general manager a liar, which doesn’t exactly bode well for a team that will try to recruit free agents when the lockout lifts. And considering Umenyiora has an inflated sense of his worth, it’s going to be hard for the Giants to find trade suitors this offseason if they wind up deciding to trade him.
Furthermore, it’s not like Umenyiora has much leverage here. He’s 29, he still has two years remaining on his contract and he just had hip surgery. With 2010 first round pick Jason Pierre-Paul ready to assume a starting position in the next year or two, the Giants aren’t going to oblige and give Umenyiora a new contract – especially not now given all this sworn affidavit hoopla. Umenyiora’s pass rushing ability speaks for itself but he’s a one-dimensional player and one-dimensional players don’t command top-5 money at their positions.
It’s clear that Umenyiora wants a new contract or wants out and quite frankly, he may want both. With that in mind, it may be time for the Giants and Umenyiora to officially part ways.
