Osi wants to come back, but at right price
Giants defensive end Osi Umenyiora during Super Bowl XLVI Media Day at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind. (Jan. 31, 2012) Credit: J. Conrad Williams
Amid a whirlwind of confetti and screams, Osi Umenyiora was forced to step out of the moment, and think about his future.
As he walked off the field at the conclusion of Tuesday's MetLife Stadium Super Bowl celebration, the Giants defensive end was peppered with questions about his tenuous status with the team.
He reiterated he wants to be a Giant, but the ball is not in his court, he said.
His one-day holdout in training camp this summer had been a message, a full-out demonstration of his unhappiness. If he couldn't get a new contract, he wanted out of New York.
But that new contract and trade never happened. And as a result, Umenyiora, 30, was standing on a field littered with confetti as fans shouted his name.
"Of course. I mean, come on, look at this, man," he said, gesturing to the animated crowd, when asked if he wants to be a Giant next season. "We can win again. But you know, it's business though."
For now, he said he's allowing himself to enjoy the aftermath of their Super Bowl XLVI win over the Patriots, rather than focus on business.
"Not back to business at all," he said. "We're going to enjoy this one, we're going to love every minute of it, and business will take care of itself later.
"Ain't no calming down. I'm partying. For a month straight," added Umenyiora, who had nine sacks in nine regular-season games.
The veteran defensive end, who is under contract for one more year and scheduled to make just under $4 million, said he plans to "relax, have a good time, enjoy myself" in the next few weeks before thinking about his future.
Conventional wisdom says the Giants won't give him a pay increase to be a backup to Jason Pierre-Paul. But Umenyiora insisted he'd love to be back.
But, he said, it's not up to him.
"I don't know," he said of his chances of returning. "You have to ask them that, man. I'm still under contract here, so at the end of the day, they're going to have to make that decision. It's not going to be on me."
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