Twitter is aflame with discussion of the report by ESPN's Sal Paolantonio that the New York Giants have given Osi Umenyiora's agent permission to seek a trade for the disgruntled defensive end.
Previous reports have indicated that the Giants want a No. 1 pick for the 29-year-old two-time Pro Bowler.
So, since the Giants have reached this stage in their dealings with Umenyiora, who wants a new contract, you would have to think he has played his last down as a Giant.
Teams may be reluctant to part with the No. 1 pick the Giants seek. In fact, Mike Garafolo is indicating that he is hearing the Giants will have to settle for less.
As WFAN's Paul Dottino tweeted, though "almost ALWAYS when a player is given permission to seek a deal, a deal gets done."
So, the Giants will likely move on with Justin Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul, Mathias Kiwanuka and Dave Tollefson or another veteran at the defensive end slots.
Question is, which teams will pursue Umenyiora?
We know from reports on Sunday that Umenyiora is interested in the Seattle Seahawks. No word on whether the interest is mutual.
CBS Sports is saying the Baltimore Ravens are among "a handful of teams that are at least preliminarily interested."
You would have to think the St. Louis Rams, with Steve Spagnuolo, as head coach, will at least kick the tires on a Umenyiora deal.
It will be interesting to see what teams actually seriously pursue a trade for Umenyiora, especially knowing they will have to give him a rich new contract as part of the trade.
Here is one more perspective on situation -- one I happen to like. It comes from ESPN NFC East blogger Dan Graziano:
This is a no-lose situation for the Giants, because it can't make things worse and could, conceivably, make things better. Say some team -- the Seahawks, for instance, who could really use him -- offers that prize of a first-round pick. The Giants could dump a headache at a position where they have depth and get a great return for him. But if that doesn't happen, they're no worse off than they are right now and may even find themselves in a stronger position from which to tell Umenyiora to stop complaining and play.