Umenyiora to Report to Giants Camp Without New Contract

Osi Umenyiora has decided to practice with the New York Giants at training camp but will begin playing without the new contract that he sought during his holdout. He told the Associated Press on Sunday that the Giants offered him incentives in addition to his base pay of $7.1 million over the next two seasons but he did no accept them.

Umenyiora reported to camp a day late on July 30 but has yet to take the field because he claims that general manager Jerry Reese told him the team would rework his contract to pay him more money. He is not happy with the situation though saying, "What has been offered has been unacceptable and shows they don't really respect the fact I sacrifice my health for the franchise. I will play under my current deal because I love and respect my coaches, my teammates, the fans, and myself."

In the 2010 season Umenyiora had 11.5 sacks (tied for the team lead) and forced 10 fumbles, the most in the league. Originally the Giants told his agent to look for a trade that would allow him to get a better deal elsewhere but quickly rescinded their offer. The decision to practice may have been hurried along by the excellent performance of Umenyiora's backup Jason Pierre-Paul who had 2 sacks and a good overall game against the Carolina Panthers in the team's first preseason game.