The NFL’s look-but-don’t-touch/touch-but-don’t-taste tampering period opened earlier today, making veteran Giants defensive end Justin Tuck free to negotiate-but-not-agree with other teams.
Per Jordan Ranaan of NJ.com, the Giants made a recent effort to renew Tuck’s contract.
Ranaan reports that it’s believed the offer was made this week. On the surface, it suggests the Giants want to keep Tuck. Without knowing the terms, however, it’s possible the Giants made a perfunctory offer to allow the team to say “we tried to keep him” after he signs with, say, the Eagles.
The soon-to-be-31-year-old performed well last year, despite the Giants’ struggles. After a couple of disappointing seasons, Tuck rebounded with 11 sacks.
It’ll be interesting to see whether Tuck attracts a significant offer on the open market. If the financial numbers aren’t there, he could be a candidate to do a short-term deal with a Super Bowl contender -- if he’s willing to take less money in the hopes of expanding his collection of Super Bowl rings to three.