Although a January report suggested there was a chance he’d retire this offseason, veteran guard Chris Snee intends to continue his career, and hopes to play at least one more season for the Giants, as he tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
“I don’t want my last memory to be a dismal performance in Carolina,” Snee said, referring to the Giants’ Week 3 loss against the Panthers. “There’s a changing of the guard, I want to help this team right the ship.”
Snee, who underwent hip surgery following that game in Carolina, has been the Giants’ starter at right guard for nearly a decade, since the team drafted him 34th overall in 2004. The 32-year-old has earned a spot in the Pro Bowl four times over that period and had been a key member of the offensive line until the 2013 season, when he played poorly even before he was sidelined due to the hip injury. Still, as he recovers from hip and elbow surgery, Snee sounds convinced that he still has something left in the tank.
“Am I the guy who was controlling the line of scrimmage four years ago?” Snee said. “No, but do I think I can play at a high level and compete with most of the guards in the league? Absolutely. I think I would regret not giving it my all, that’s what I’ve always done for this organization, give it everything I have. That’s what I’ll do, I’ll try to do that for one more year.”
While Snee sounds ready to return to New York, the team will have a decision to make as well. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier today that the Giants expected Snee to remain on the team for 2014, but the veteran’s cap number will have to be addressed. He’s owed a base salary of $6.75MM, plus additional bonus money that takes his total cap hit up to $11.3MM. That number isn’t palatable, and the club could create nearly $7MM in cap savings by cutting him. Still, it sounds like Snee is open to the idea of taking a pay cut in the final year of his contract and optimistic about getting something done.
“If there was no interest from [the team’s] point of view I’d probably say thanks for everything and call it a career,” Snee said. “At this point it’s not about money for me. I’m a Giant, I couldn’t imagine myself playing for any other organization…. I’m not worried about if the deal will get done but when. I’ve had no issues before restructuring, I just want to win so I’ll do whatever it takes.”
Even the Giants are confident that Snee can return to the field for the club in 2014, the team is expected to survey the free agent market for guards, as we heard this afternoon.