NFL
New Orleans Saints Acquire Giants TE Jeremy Shockey
Jeremy Shockey’s days in the Big Apple are now over.
ESPN is reporting that the New York Giants traded tight end Jeremy Shockey to the Orleans Saints for a second and fifth-round draft pick. As usual, the deal will be made official once Shockey receives a mandatory physical.
This deal has been long overdue. The Giants offered the Saints a similar deal before this year’s draft, but the Saints turned it down. Another NFC East team also made a trade recently, the Washington Redskins. The Redskins sent a 2009 second-round pick and a 2010 sixth-round pick for Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor on Sunday. Apparently, the Giants were looking to land the former 2006 Defensive Player of the Year.
Sports Illustrated’s resident football expert Peter King reported that the Giants were looking to enter a three-team deal which would have sent Shockey to the Saints and Taylor to the Giants. The Dolphins would have received draft picks from the Saints in return.
Shockey’s departure seemed apparent after the Giants went on their Super Bowl run without him. Giants’ GM Jerry Reese told reporters before the trade that he felt the team could survive with or without him.
“I expect we’ll have 53 players when we play the Redskins (on Sept. 4) who want to be here, and are happy to be here, ready to play as a team, ready to defend the title. That’s what I expect,” Reese said. “If that includes Jeremy, that would be great.”
Many observers felt the Giants’ offense gelled a bit better last season while Shockey was on the IR. The younger Kevin Boss replaced him at tight end and did a serviceable job during the playoffs, even making some key plays against the Patriots in the Super Bowl. However, this season they’ll have to deal with a bigger Boss, who checked into OTA camp at 272 lbs, 20 pounds more than he weighed last season.
By acquiring Shockey, the Saints have added another weapon to their offense, which includes both quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Marques Colston. The team struggled last year, finishing 7-9, after being considered a shoe-in for the playoffs during the offseason. The Saints also made other significant moves to help them get back to their playoff form from 2006. In February, they acquired former Jets linebacker Jonathan Vilma. They also signed former Patriots cornerback Randall Gay in March to a 4-year $17.8 million dollar deal.
Will the addition of Shockey make one of the NFC’s top offenses even better and strengthen their hopes of returning to the postsesaon? Are the Giants much better off without Shockey? It looks like a good deal now, but only time will tell, won’t it?
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3 comments for “New Orleans Saints Acquire Giants TE Jeremy Shockey”
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“The Giants offered the Saints a similar deal before this year’s draft, but the Saints turned it down.”
You have this backwards…the Giants have been spurning the Saints all this time.
Your right. When I read a piece from ESPN on July 21, they reported it the other way. But, now I have read stuff that says it was the other way around.
Thank you WhamBam.
*You’re