A No. 1 or No. 2 draft pick. That is the price a former NFL general manager who wished to remain anonymous says Osi Umenyiora could fetch if the New York Giants decided to deal him this off-season.
So, put yourself in General Manager Jerry Reese's shoes. We have already spent some time the past several weeks talking vaguely about trading, or not trading, the obviously disgruntled defensive end. In reality, though, we had no baseline for an argument since we have all been speculating wildly on what he might bring in return.
But, on the theory that Umenyiora's still formidable pass-rushing skills could bring the Giants an additional first- or second-round pick would you keep him or trade him?
I am not a guy who favors trading up for draft picks. That is a gamble that sometimes works, but often blows up on the team doing it. If, however, the Giants could add an extra pick in the first two rounds -- a scenario I still have doubts about -- that is a pretty tempting proposition.
What teams might make an offer for Osi, especially with a shrinking number of teams playing the 4-3? That is another question entirely, and I would just be speculating. St. Louis with Steve Spagnuolo, maybe, but they would be silly to surrender draft picks.
Your thoughts?
(E-mail Ed at bigblueview@gmail.com)