OAHU, Hawaii -– Once the champagne dries and the parade ends, reality bites.
Championship postseasons often lead to contentious offseasons, when players feel they should be rewarded for helping their teams win a Super Bowl. It will be no different in New York, where multiple Giants will seek contract extensions.
Leading the way will be the Giants' lone Pro Bowl selection, defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who has five seasons remaining on his seven-year contract. Two years ago, the Giants awarded Umenyiora with a six-year, $41 million extension that included $14 million worth of guaranteed money.
At the time, Umenyiora's contract was reported as a "landmark" deal.
But the landmark, in the eyes of some, did not last long.
Those who know Umenyiora believe he has outplayed the contract, particularly New York giving Giants backup defensive tackle Justin Tuck $16 million worth of guaranteed money on the eve of the NFC Championship Game in Green Bay.
Whether they are right or not is irrelevant. If Umenyiora thinks it, and there is every indication he does, and if New York does not dole out a new extension, then the Giants are staring at a second straight summer with a high-profile defensive end failing to report to training camp in time.
Last summer, defensive end Michael Strahan missed training camp while trying to decide whether to resume his football career. Strahan insisted his holdout was not money-based, though some within the Giants organization thought otherwise.
If Umenyiora misses any time this summer, there will be no question as to what is driving him.
Plaxico Burress also is expected to seek more money. He is playing under a six-year, $25 million contract in which he collected $8.25 million in bonuses three years ago. Burress caught the game-winning touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLII, and had the game of his life in the NFC Championship at Green Bay.
Another Giant who is in line for a raise is guard Chris Snee, who has one year remaining on the five-year contract he signed after being drafted in 2004. Snee has developed into one of football's top guards, and he would like to be rewarded for it.
His father-in-law is Giants coach Tom Coughlin. Should New York extend its head coach's contract with one year remaning on it, his son-in-law will be asking the organization to do the same for him.
These are some messy issues the Giants will have to wrestle with this offseason and potentially into the summer. But these are the types of problems that every team wishes it had.
History boy
Super Bowl XLII MVP Eli Manning etched his name into football and Giants history with his clutch performance.
But what has gone overlooked is that heading into the game, Manning had the lowest quarterback rating of any quarterback in the Super Bowl the past two decades.
Manning's quarterback rating last season was 73.9, tying him with Bears quarterback Rex Grossman. But that is an indication of the power of Super Bowls.
