If Osi Umenyiora wants to leave the Giants, he now has permission to find the door.
The agent for the disgruntled defensive end was officially given permission to seek a trade, if that's what he wants, according to two sources familiar with the situation. Umenyiora's agent, Tony Agnone, began making phone calls to other teams on Monday, the source said. The Giants are looking for "at least" a first-round pick in the trade, which was first reported by ESPN. And according to one of the sources, the Giants may not be inclined to settle for less.
The Giants don't particularly want to trade the 29-year-old Umenyiora, but the situation between him and the organization appears to have reached a breaking point, despite what Tom Coughlin said was a "good" conversation on Saturday night between Umenyiora and GM Jerry Reese. According to a source close to Umenyiora, he used the conversation to simply reiterate his demands that Reese honor a promise to renegotiate his contract or trade him.
Umenyiora has two years and $7.1 million remaining on his deal, which is far below market value for a Pro Bowl defensive end. In fact, that market has exploded in recent years. A few days ago, the Carolina Panthers re-signed defensive end Charles Johnson to a six-year, $72 million contract with $21 million in guaranteed money. Johnson, entering his fifth year, had 11-1/2 sacks last season - the same total as Umenyiora had last season.
