As we've noted here on Giants 101, something about the situation just doesn't seem to make sense. After signing a sworn affidavit during the NFL Lockout claiming General Manager Jerry Reese had broken a promise to him about a new deal, Umenyiora promptly held out early in training camp. The situation got even uglier when Umenyiora threatened to undergo optional surgery on his knee, which was eventually checked out by team doctors and then a specialist in Atlanta.
He was cleared by both and magically, here we are…Umenyiora has done a 180 and is expected to return to practice Monday afternoon.
Pro Football Talk reports (and by reports, I mean shares a rumor) that Umenyiora will, in fact, be getting a brand new contract that's much closer to what he feels he's worth.
There’s talk in some circles that Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora soon will be getting his much-desired new deal. It’s possible that the scuttlebutt traces to the fact that Umenyiora is returning to practice without a new deal already in place. The Giants haven't been called winners all that often in this briefest of NFL offseasons, but they clearly won their battle with defensive end Osi Umenyiora.
After missing two weeks of practice and the team's first preseason game in a contract snit that featured a window for him to shop himself to other teams in a trade and one of the more dubious knee injuries in recent history, Umenyiora said Sunday that he would give up his stationary bike and return to practice on Monday.
"No deal has been reworked," Umenyiora wrote. I will play under my current deal because I love and respect my coaches, my teammates, the fans, and myself.