Giants general manager Jerry Reese is unsure whether defensive end Osi Umenyiora would take less money to finish his career in New York.
Instead, Reese believes the recent comments by Umenyiora might have been "taken out of context." Umenyiora told Sirius XM's Mad Dog Radio on Friday that he would be willing to give the Giants a hometown discount, saying "If it came down to me taking less to stay here, I would," according to the New York Post.
Reese said he understands the motivation behind Umenyiora's sentiment: He wants to retire having played for only one team.
But the two have not spoken since the Super Bowl parade and Reese doesn't consider the decision about a long-term deal a "pressing matter." He expects to meet with Umenyiora's agent soon.
The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end was a holdout during training camp last summer over his contract. Umenyiora finished with nine sacks in nine games in 2011 and is slated to earn $3.975 million next season, the final year of a seven-year deal.
Earlier this week, Umenyiora said that while he wanted to stay in New York, he could foresee being traded if the team determined that was the best move.
"We have a lot of issues on our plate right now, and you know, that's one of the issues that we want to try and address during this offseason," Reese said in an appearance on NFL Network on Saturday. "But right now we're still in the early stages of preparation of our offseason, and we'll address the Mario (Manningham) situation, we'll address the Osi situation. There are several other issues that we need to address as well."
The Giants have to deal with several players with unsettled contracts, including receiver Victor Cruz (who has expressed interest in negotiating for an extension) and running back Brandon Jacobs (who has said he would possibly restructure his deal in order to stay with the team).
Manningham, who is set to become a free agent, is likewise facing an uncertain future. Reese said that the Giants are waiting for the salary cap to be finalized before moving forward in earnest with their offseason plans, but added that they are interested in retaining the receiver.
"When guys have a chance to hit the market, they want to hit the market, because it's all about, 'How can I make the most money for the rest of my career?'" Reese said. "We'd love to have him back, but we don't know what we can do right now with respect to that."
The Associated Press contributed to this report
