Osi Umenyiora never wanted to leave the Giants, but he did.
After two seasons with the Falcons, Umenyiora is set to become a free agent and he does not want to retire. What he does want is to finish his NFL career where he started it — with the Giants.
“It was nearly a third of my life that I was there in New York, and I did a lot of good things there,” Umenyiora told ESPN. “As a team, we won some Super Bowls. I was able to go to a couple of Pro Bowls and be like an All-Pro player over there. Unless I’m able to do that somewhere else — which I don’t know how likely that is — then it would only make sense, whenever it is that I retire.
“I’m not going to play another 10 years. I’m not going to play another three years. Whenever it is that I retire, I think it would only make sense for me to do that as a Giant.”
Now comes the hard part for Umenyiora: convincing the Giants to bring him back.
Even though general manager Jerry Reese considers Umenyiora one of his all-time favorite Giants players, that does not mean a reunion is about to happen. The Giants’ first priority is to re-sign defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul to a long-term deal and if they cannot do that by March 2, they will put the franchise tag on him to ensure he stays put in 2015. Veteran Cullen Jenkins accepted a pay cut to stay on the roster and Damontre Moore, entering his third NFL season, is in line to challenge for a starting spot. There is no doubt the Giants want to add pass-rushing talent, but it is debatable that they believe the 33-year-old Umenyiora, even for one year, is the answer.
An 11-year veteran, Umenyiora had 75 of his 85 career sacks in his nine seasons with the Giants. He signed a two-year, $11 million contract with the Falcons and in 2013 showed there was gas left in his tank, posting a team-high 7.5 sacks. He did not start a single game in 2014, though, and was relegated to the role of situational pass rusher, managing only 2.5 sacks. With newly hired head coach Dan Quinn running the show, the Falcons are not expected to try to re-sign Umenyiora.
“Zero plans to retire at this moment,” Umenyiora said. “I feel like I can still play, No. 1. The way things ended last year, I’m just not going to end my career like that. That’s not going to happen. I feel like when put in the right situation and given the opportunity to play, I would still be able to help somebody. I want to end the way it’s supposed to end.”
Umenyiora feels he’s supposed to end with the Giants. But it takes both sides to feel that way. Perhaps the return of Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator will help Umenyiora’s cause, as the two won a Super Bowl together in 2007.