New York Giants: Owamagbe Odighizuwa Hints At Retirement
The New York Giants may be losing a key defensive player to an unexpected retirement. Find out the latest on defensive end Owa Odighizuwa.
In recent seasons, one of the most compelling developments in the NFL has been the sudden retirement of relatively young players. Though the New York Giants have gone relatively unscathed, the ripple effect has been felt around the league.
In early April of 2017, the Giants came close to becoming the latest team to lose a player to an early and unexpected retirement.
Owamagbe Odighizuwa has been pegged as a player facing high expectations entering the 2017 season. New York has invested significant money in Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon, but Odighizuwa is expected to play a significant role in the creation of depth.
Unfortunately, Odighizuwa began a series of cryptic tweets with one that hinted that he may retire from the NFL.
Odighizuwa followed with a tweet in which he apologized for making such an announcement on such an informal platform.
He continued:
It was a stunning turn of events, but clarity appears to have been provided in the 24 hours that followed.
Odighizuwa is a 25-year-old defensive end who was selected at No. 74 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft. He’s playing behind two star-caliber starters, however, and has appeared in just 18 of a possible 32 games through two seasons.
Thankfully, Odighizuwa clarified his recent comments—sort of—and vaguely stated that he will be returning to the Giants for the 2017 season.
https://twitter.com/LPJ_Odighizuwa/status/849302015280807938
It was a confusing two days for Big Blue, but it appears as though Odighizuwa will not be retiring after all.
Pierre-Paul and Vernon were two of the most heavily utilized players in the NFL during the 2016 season. Even the most active of players need time to breathe, however, and Odighizuwa will play a significant role in relief of those two stars.
Odighizuwa could also see snaps along the interior of the defensive line and on special teams, and both roles would call on him to be in peak physical condition.
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The New York Giants may have dodged a bullet here.