Osi Watch Officially Back On
By author
A happy blue Monday to you all, on this fine Monday before the draft.
As we had previously predicted, apparently, Osi Umeniyora is available in the days leading up to the draft (I think the likelihood that Osi is shipped off on or before the draft is high; I don’t see Osi swallowing his pride and returning happily to the G-men after his name is officially been Donovan McNabb’ed).
Here is the deal: Michael Lombardi of National Football Post is reporting that Umeniyora “can be had for the right price.” Chris Mortenson of ESPN identifies the Rams (the Spagnuolo connection makes sense here), Carolina (need a replacement for the departed Julius Peppers) and Miami (the guess here is that Osi would be moved to the outside linebacker spot and asked to simply speed rush on every play). Mort gives the odds at 60/40 Osi gets dealt, exact compensation unknown of course (I am hearing everything from a 2nd round pick combined with a later round pick (think a no. 5) or a combination of mid-round picks. What the truth is remains to be seen.
We discussed here weeks/months ago that it makes sense to entertain Osi trade offers only if the compensation is fair. Fair in my mind is a 2nd and a 4th and/or a 2nd, 5th, and a pick next year as well. Osi is in his prime, fully recovered from knee surgery, and is on a very affordable contract, if Jerry pulls the trigger on a deal, he better get a nice little haul of picks in return.
Further, if Brandon Marshall is worth two 2nd round picks, you have to think the starting point of any discussion is a 2nd round pick, at a minimum.
And, linked to any Osi deal is the rumor that the Giants have their eyes on Jason Pierre-Paul as a replacement. Not sure I am buying this part as Pierre-Paul is not NFL ready and will need time to learn, regardless of his physical attributes and speed/athleticism. The G-men are built to be a win-now team, I don’t see Pierre-Paul as the answer, so I am calling this part a smoke-screen for now. I don’t think any Osi deal is predicated on obtaining Pierre-Paul, simply put, Osi gets dealt if Jerry gets the right offer. Check back here for updates all week, stay blue!