New York Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora says he’ll quit football entirely before he’ll return to the team as a backup in 2010. Although the Giants haven’t given Umenyiora any assurances that he will be a starter, Giants General Manager Jerry Reese did sit down and talk with Umenyiora about his concerns.
“They had a nice, long chat,” Umenyiora’s agent, Tony Agnone, told the Star-Ledger. “And they’ll continue to talk. They have a lot to discuss.”
Neither Umenyiora nor Reese has divulged exactly what was said in their nice, long chat, but Agnone indicated that Umenyiora still wants to play as a starter or not at all.
If that’s really the case, there’s a pretty good chance Umenyiora will have to choose “not at all.” The Giants weren’t satisfied with his play through the first 12 weeks of the season, which is why they took him out of the starting lineup and made him a situational pass rusher starting in Week 13.
But if the team holds firm, it’s probably safe to say that Umenyiora will change his mind and play in 2010 even if it’s as a backup with the Giants. Umenyiora’s contract runs through 2012 and will pay him $3.1 million next season. He might be angry in February, but he won’t be angry enough to cost himself close to $200,000 a week in September.