NEW YORK — There is “a good chance” that tight end Jeremy Shockey will be part of a trade that ends his tenure with the New York Giants on Saturday, according to a league source familiar with the team’s situation. The New Orleans Saints remain the most likely suitor for the tight end in a draft-day deal, with growing interest from the Atlanta Falcons among others.
Any trade likely would include multiple draft picks and could be completed with one of the participating teams Saturday at Radio City Music Hall. The Saints reportedly offered a second-round pick for Shockey two weeks ago, but that was not enough to pry him away.
Giants general manager Jerry Reese said last week that he considered Shockey the team’s starting tight end and that he looked forward to having him back on the field. But he made it clear that he would listen to offers from other teams.
“Everybody is tradable, no matter what,” he said.
Shockey has had a tumultuous career in New York since arriving as a first-round draft pick in 2002. He has not played a 16-game season for the Giants and last year had his season cut short by a broken leg Dec. 16 against the Washington Redskins.
Several years ago, he expressed displeasure with his role, complaining that he spends too much time blocking and not enough time receiving. There have been reports this offseason that he is unhappy with the perception that the Giants’ Super Bowl run was helped by the fact that he was on injured reserve throughout the playoffs.
“In terms of Jeremy’s feelings as relating to the Giants, that’s something that we’ve communicated to the Giants, and the ball’s going to be in their court,” Shockey’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said on ESPN earlier this week.
Although a trade appears imminent, the Giants could decide that the offers do not warrant parting with a still productive (though sometimes disruptive) player. Shockey, 27, has four years remaining on his five-year, $26.3 million contract extension with the Giants, including a base salary of $1.9 million for the 2008 season. Any trade likely would be on the condition that he pass a physical, even though Reese and Rosenhaus have reported that his broken leg has completely healed.
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