HEADLINES

Justin Tuck

Giants Notes: Nicks, Tuck, Wilson, Beason

February 22nd, 2014 at 9:51am CST by Matt Feminis

Giants Senior Vice President & General Manager Jerry Reese spoke to the media Saturday morning and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweeted some of the topics addressed:

  • Hakeem Nicks and Justin Tuck will hit the free agent market (via Twitter).
  • The team is optimistic about David Wilson‘s neck injury, but will likely select a running back in the draft (Twitter).
  • Uncertainty about the health of Chris Snee (wrist) and David Baas (knee) is making offensive line decisions difficult (Twitter).
  • Jon Beason, who was acquired in trade last season and recorded 93 tackles and an interception in 11 starts, will become an unrestricted free agent, but the Giants want him back (Twitter).

NFC Notes: Nelson, Tuck, Fitzgerald, Mangini

February 20th, 2014 at 12:36pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve already published posts on the Vikings, Bears, and Cowboys so far today, but even after rounding up a few team-centric updates, there are still several more notes to pass along on NFC teams. Here’s the latest:

  • While there will be plenty of items on the Packers‘ to-do list this offseason, locking up wide receiver Jordy Nelson to an extension is expected to be near the top of that list, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • There are plenty of notable names among this year’s free agent class of defensive ends, but Justin Tuck’s agent tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com that he believes his client is the best all-around player of the bunch. “Justin is by far the most complete d-end in the class,” agent Doug Hendrickson said of the longtime Giant. “He can play the 4-3, he can play the 3-4. He obviously had an incredible season last year with every stat he had with the tackles, tackles for loss, the hurries and the sacks. They were up there with the upper-echelon defensive linemen.”
  • Asked about a report last month that suggested the Patriots were mulling a Larry Fitzgerald trade last year, Cardinals GM Steve Keim said of the rumor, “I was looking for someone to fire because [the Patriots] never called me” (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). That initial report suggested that the Pats’ talks didn’t get very far, so it sounds like they were just internal discussions.
  • Former defensive specialist Eric Mangini will be the 49ers’ tight ends coach in 2014, the team confirmed today. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee was the first to report Mangini’s new role.
  • Cornerback figures to be one of the most important positions for the Eagles to address this offseason, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, exploring some potential options for the team.
  • Offensive lineman Gabe Carimi, who was released by the Buccaneers earlier this month, admitted in an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio that he was surprised by the move. However, the early cut gave Carimi to test the market ahead of the free agent period. While he had planned to work out for the Bengals and some other teams, the ex-Bear landed with the Falcons this week (Twitter links via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports).

Tuck “Thinks” He Wants To Return To Giants

February 1st, 2014 at 10:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Giants defensive end Justin Tuck believes he wants to return to the Giants, the only team with which he has ever played, according to Dan Martin of the New York Post. Tuck, who previously stated his intentions to assess his value in free agency, said while he wants to return, certainty is impossible. “I honestly think the Giants are going to do everything in their power to make it work,” he said. “They want me to be back. I think I want to be back.”

Tuck’s familiarity with Giants as an organization seems to be important to him, as he noted, “I’ve only been here, with one team.” He continued: “The Giants are a great organization, but everyone understands it’s a business. We’ll do our due diligence — on both sides — and see what happens.”

Tuck, 31, enjoyed his best season in years, and one that was injury-free, a recent rarity for him. He accrued 13 sacks, and was graded as the seventh-best 4-3 defensive end by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Giants should have ample amounts of cap space with which to work, so re-signing Tuck from should not be a problem from a financial point of view.

Justin Tuck Looking Forward To Testing Market

January 30th, 2014 at 9:36am CST by Luke Adams

Justin Tuck has spent all nine seasons of his NFL career with the Giants, but it seems as if he’ll be shopping for a new home this March. Speaking to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post this morning, Tuck indicated that he was looking forward to exploring his options in unrestricted free agency.

“I will see what the market is for me,” Tuck said. “I’ve never been in this situation before, and it’s a great opportunity for myself. I would be doing myself a disservice if I didn’t see what the market is, and I will.”

At the conclusion of the Giants’ season a month ago, Tuck suggested that he’d be open to the idea of re-signing in New York and perhaps eventually retiring as a Giant. However, he seems less enthused about that idea now, acknowledging that while he intends to meet with the Giants next month to discuss a new deal, he and the team will both do what’s in their best interests, which may mean parting ways.

With about $116MM on the books for 2014, and a long list of pending free agents, the Giants won’t have a ton of flexibility to make Tuck a competitive offer. Still, it remains to be seen what sort of years and dollars the defensive end could land. He’s coming off a strong bounceback season that saw him play in all 16 games and record 11 sacks, but he’ll also turn 31 in March, so his age and injury history may raise red flags for potential suitors.