I know there is another thread on this but I think it was before the trade became official. wil.
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July 22nd. 2008.
Looking back now, it may have been one of Jeremy Shockey's best plays as a Giant.
He got into a shouting match with the general manager, rankled the head coach, spread chatter about his discontent during the offseason and threatened to turn the post-Super Bowl training camp into a daily soap opera. For a guy who wanted out, it was about as precise a route as he's ever run.
So when the Giants finally agreed to trade the four-time Pro Bowl tight end to the Saints yesterday - receiving a second- and a fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft in return - it came as no real surprise. In fact, for some of the key participants in the negotiations that simmered for almost five months, it was quite likely a relief.
"It has been difficult and it has been challenging and I know that personally Jeremy has been struggling with his future," Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who had what he called a "special relationship" with Shockey, told Newsday yesterday. "He made it very clear to me and John Mara and Jerry [Reese] and coach Coughlin that he wanted to play for another team.
"I hope this proves to be a win-win for everybody, selfishly for the Giants and I hope things work out for Jeremy in New Orleans. I think he's got a lot of football left in him."
The trade still depends on Shockey passing a physical, which the Saints will administer either today or tomorrow. Shockey, who has never played an entire 16-game season, missed the final two games of last year's regular season with a broken fibula and was sidelined during the team's remarkable postseason run to a championship. It was that injury - and the success the team found without him on the field - that seemed to spark Shockey's desire to leave the Giants.
"February 3rd must have been a very difficult day for him," said Tisch, who had Shockey as a guest in his box for that game in Arizona. "I really hope from his point of view, this is the resolution he was looking for."
Shockey will be reunited with Saints coach Sean Payton, who was the Giants' offensive coordinator in 2002 when Shockey joined the NFL as a first-round pick out of Miami. He'll also be teammates with fellow Hurricanes product Jonathan Vilma, a former Jets linebacker who was dealt to the Saints earlier this offseason.
"Jeremy is a player that we are excited to have on our roster," Payton said in a statement on the Saints' Web site. "He is someone I am familiar with as a player. He brings a skill set to the position that I feel will be a tremendous benefit to our offense."
Shockey is also quoted on the Web site, though he is not expected to address the media until later this week. "I am excited to join the Saints as they have expressed interest in me," he said. "The Saints have a lot of weapons starting with Drew Brees and I look forward to joining my teammates at training camp. This will be a fun year."
Shockey may leave the Giants with some peace and quiet - and about a million dollars in cap room for the coming season - but he'll also leave them with uncertainty at tight end. In six seasons with the Giants, Shockey caught 371 passes for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns. They'll likely rely on second-year player Kevin Boss along with Darcy Johnson and Michael Matthews.
According to a league source, the Saints could wind up paying for Shockey with a first-round pick. If Vilma plays 85 percent of the defensive snaps and is signed to an extension before the end of the season, the conditional pick owed to the Jets would be a second-rounder. In that case the second- and fifth-rounders traded to the Giants would become a 2010 first-rounder. That's unlikely because the Saints wouldn't sign Vilma to cost themselves a first-rounder.
Shockey's departure represents a new era for the franchise. The team's three biggest stars from just two seasons ago - Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan and Shockey - are all gone.
"I had a couple of long conversations with Jeremy this spring and summer," Mara said in a statement. "From those conversations, it was apparent to me that a fresh start was the best thing for us and for Jeremy."
Jeremy Shockey's season averages in his six years with the Giants:
Games: 14
Receptions: 62
Yards: 705
Yds./rec.: 11.4
First downs: 38 TDs: 5
Newsday.com
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July 22nd. 2008.
Looking back now, it may have been one of Jeremy Shockey's best plays as a Giant.
He got into a shouting match with the general manager, rankled the head coach, spread chatter about his discontent during the offseason and threatened to turn the post-Super Bowl training camp into a daily soap opera. For a guy who wanted out, it was about as precise a route as he's ever run.
So when the Giants finally agreed to trade the four-time Pro Bowl tight end to the Saints yesterday - receiving a second- and a fifth-round pick in the 2009 draft in return - it came as no real surprise. In fact, for some of the key participants in the negotiations that simmered for almost five months, it was quite likely a relief.
"It has been difficult and it has been challenging and I know that personally Jeremy has been struggling with his future," Giants co-owner Steve Tisch, who had what he called a "special relationship" with Shockey, told Newsday yesterday. "He made it very clear to me and John Mara and Jerry [Reese] and coach Coughlin that he wanted to play for another team.
"I hope this proves to be a win-win for everybody, selfishly for the Giants and I hope things work out for Jeremy in New Orleans. I think he's got a lot of football left in him."
The trade still depends on Shockey passing a physical, which the Saints will administer either today or tomorrow. Shockey, who has never played an entire 16-game season, missed the final two games of last year's regular season with a broken fibula and was sidelined during the team's remarkable postseason run to a championship. It was that injury - and the success the team found without him on the field - that seemed to spark Shockey's desire to leave the Giants.
"February 3rd must have been a very difficult day for him," said Tisch, who had Shockey as a guest in his box for that game in Arizona. "I really hope from his point of view, this is the resolution he was looking for."
Shockey will be reunited with Saints coach Sean Payton, who was the Giants' offensive coordinator in 2002 when Shockey joined the NFL as a first-round pick out of Miami. He'll also be teammates with fellow Hurricanes product Jonathan Vilma, a former Jets linebacker who was dealt to the Saints earlier this offseason.
"Jeremy is a player that we are excited to have on our roster," Payton said in a statement on the Saints' Web site. "He is someone I am familiar with as a player. He brings a skill set to the position that I feel will be a tremendous benefit to our offense."
Shockey is also quoted on the Web site, though he is not expected to address the media until later this week. "I am excited to join the Saints as they have expressed interest in me," he said. "The Saints have a lot of weapons starting with Drew Brees and I look forward to joining my teammates at training camp. This will be a fun year."
Shockey may leave the Giants with some peace and quiet - and about a million dollars in cap room for the coming season - but he'll also leave them with uncertainty at tight end. In six seasons with the Giants, Shockey caught 371 passes for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns. They'll likely rely on second-year player Kevin Boss along with Darcy Johnson and Michael Matthews.
According to a league source, the Saints could wind up paying for Shockey with a first-round pick. If Vilma plays 85 percent of the defensive snaps and is signed to an extension before the end of the season, the conditional pick owed to the Jets would be a second-rounder. In that case the second- and fifth-rounders traded to the Giants would become a 2010 first-rounder. That's unlikely because the Saints wouldn't sign Vilma to cost themselves a first-rounder.
Shockey's departure represents a new era for the franchise. The team's three biggest stars from just two seasons ago - Tiki Barber, Michael Strahan and Shockey - are all gone.
"I had a couple of long conversations with Jeremy this spring and summer," Mara said in a statement. "From those conversations, it was apparent to me that a fresh start was the best thing for us and for Jeremy."
Jeremy Shockey's season averages in his six years with the Giants:
Games: 14
Receptions: 62
Yards: 705
Yds./rec.: 11.4
First downs: 38 TDs: 5
Newsday.com
