Reese needs to deal with Osi, Bradshaw

ATLANTA

Osi Umenyiora isn't sure how his situation with the Giants will be resolved once the lockout ends. But Giants owner John Mara made one thing clear about his star defensive end: He wants to see the pass-rush specialist stay with the team for the foreseeable future.

"I talked to him last week," Mara said, "and told him we wanted him back."

Umenyiora said in his deposition in the Brady v. NFL antitrust lawsuit that general manager Jerry Reese promised to either renegotiate his contract or trade him to a team willing to pay him top dollar.

He said that in April 2008, Reese told him that in two years, "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."

The Giants have not adjusted Umenyiora's contract, which still has two years remaining on it, and Umenyiora's deposition suggests he thinks Reese was lying when he made that promise. Umenyiora has since softened his stance and expressed a willingness to return -- but only if his contract is reworked.

But first things first, according to Mara.

"I told him that when this [lockout] is over, he's got to sit down with Jerry man-to-man and work this thing out,'' Mara said. "He's got to do that."

Sounds like a plan, although Reese wasn't willing to comment on Umenyiora's situation Friday after a seminar that offered instruction to the league's general managers about the nuances of a new collective-bargaining agreement approved by the owners Thursday. The players have yet to sign off on the deal.

Teams are prohibited from communicating with players during the lockout, but the sense here is that Reese will follow through on Mara's suggestion that he try to smooth things over with Umenyiora.

But Umenyiora's situation isn't the only problem awaiting Reese once the lockout ends. His top running back, Ahmad Bradshaw, is scheduled to become a free agent and has mentioned the Dolphins as a potential landing spot. The Giants will have a four-day window to re-sign Bradshaw and any of their other free agents. After that, unrestricted free agency will begin and players will be able to sign with any team.

Asked about Bradshaw, Reese said, "We're still in a lockout. I wish I could talk about that, but I can't."

Reese did reiterate that the Giants will release running back Tiki Barber once the lockout ends. Barber's rights remain with the Giants because he retired while still under contract. But the Giants will grant Barber's request to be released so he can sign with another team.

As for former Giants receiver Plaxico Burress, who recently was released from prison after serving nearly two years for illegal weapons possession, Reese had no comment. The team is not expected to pursue Burress once the lockout ends.

While Reese ponders his next moves, fellow general manager Mike Tannenbaum does the same with the Jets. Once the lockout ends, Tannenbaum must figure out which of the team's 17 free agents he's going to attempt to re-sign. Most prominent among them: wide receivers Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards and cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

"I feel really good about our preparation," Tannenbaum said. "We can only control the preparation. Like every day, unexpected things are going to happen. You just have to be prepared."

As for bringing back his most coveted free agents, Tannenbaum sounded optimistic. "We're going to try to keep our players," he said. "But we understand every offseason, things change."

All he asks now is a chance to decide his fate. "We can't wait to get going," he said.

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