Justin Pugh is sniff ‘n’ the cash.
“I’m sitting in the driver’s seat,’’ Pugh recently said regarding his contract situation, via Mark Canizzaro of the New York Post.
Pugh enters the fifth year of his rookie deal, with free agency a year away.
“I’ve played good football,’’ Pugh said. “I know how important this year is for me. I think this is the best Giants team I’ve been on, so I think the sky’s the limit for the team and myself.’’
Even if he doesn’t reach the sky, Pugh believes the Giants will be reaching for the checkbook -- especially with the big-money deals doled out to guards in 2017.
“Trust me, I noticed,’’ Pugh said. “Some of the guards are really good players who have not made Pro Bowls, guys that have missed significant time and have gotten paid a lot of money. I know where I sit in that hierarchy. I also know the Giants need to do right by me, too.
“I’ve gone out there and done everything they’ve ever asked me to do. So I know my worth. I’m going to go out there and play my best season of football and hopefully the Giants say, ‘Let’s pay him what he deserves.’”
The franchise tag also is possibility. But since all offensive linemen are in the same bucket for tag purposes, left tackle salaries have driven the formula. In 2017, the franchise tag for Pugh would have been north of $14 million. By next year, it’ll be even higher.
So Pugh will get a long-term deal from the Giants (which they could give him now), a deal with a new team on the open market, or the tag. The only thing that could derail those options is a serious injury; for that reason, Pugh should consider clamoring for a long-term deal and the financial security that comes from it before his fifth career year begins.