Giants reach deal to send Shockey to Saints

by Jay Glazer

Updated: July 21, 2008, 11:38 PM EST 1160 comments

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The Giants have agreed to trade their disgruntled tight end to the New Orleans Saints for a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick. The deal is pending league approval, according to a league source. Shockey must also pass a physical.

The deal reunites Shockey with Saints coach Sean Payton, who was the Giants' offensive coordinator in 2002, when Shockey was Rookie of the Year.

"I have had a relationship with coach Payton and I appreciate what he has done as a head coach," Shockey said in a statement released by the Saints. "The Saints have a lot of weapons starting with Drew Brees and I look forward to joining my teammates at training camp. This will be a fun year."

"Jeremy is a player that we are excited to have on our roster. He is someone I am familiar with as a player," Payton said. "He brings a skill set to the position that I feel will be a tremendous benefit to our offense."

The compensation is the same the Saints offered New York back in April prior and during to the draft ... and it was turned down.

The move comes one day after Jason Taylor was traded from Miami to New York's NFC East rivals in Washington. According to a report on SI.com, the Giants had held discussions about a three-team trade in which they would have ended up with Taylor, the Saints would have landed Shockey and the Dolphins would have received a pair of draft picks.

The emergence of rookie Kevin Boss during the Giants' improbable Super Bowl run — a stretch Shockey missed due to a broken leg — made Shockey expendable. Boss started six games after Shockey's injury (two regular season and all four during the Giants' postseason run), making nine catches for 140 yards and a TD.

The Giants still have five tight ends, including Boss, who started the last six games of last season. The others are rookie Eric Butler, Jerome Collins, Darcy Johnson and Michael Matthews.

"We have five young kids who are all vying for the position," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said. "The tight end position will be a very competitive position in training camp."

Shockey had 371 catches for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns with the Giants.

Coughlin called the departing tight end "an outstanding football player who plays the game full speed and plays the game the way it was meant to be played."

"I wish him the best," the coach added.

Shockey's attitude made the move somewhat necessary as the Giants sought to avoid distractions from their bid to repeat as Super Bowl champions.

The Giants also unload the remainder of a five-year, $31.2 million contract extension that Shockey signed in 2005.

"Jeremy brought great energy to the game every time he stepped on the field," Giants team president John Mara said. "He had a close relationship with my father from the time we drafted him, and I had a couple of long conversations with Jeremy this spring and summer. From those conversations, it was apparent to me that a fresh start was the best thing for us and for Jeremy."

During the team's recent minicamp, Shockey reportedly engaged in a shouting match with GM Jerry Reese, just the latest controversy involving the outspoken former first-round pick out of the University of Miami.

Shockey's absence in Phoenix during the Super Bowl was conspicuous to say the least. According to some reports, one of the many sources of Shockey's displeasure with the team was that he was not allowed to stand on the team's sidelines during the game.

In the past, Shockey also had less-than-complimentary things to say about his quarterback, Eli Manning. In fact, many have theorized that Manning's transformation from a middle-of-the-pack quarterback to a Super Bowl MVP was facilitated by Shockey's absence.

Shockey's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, called last season a difficult one for his client, who was looking for a change of scenery.

"He's been one of the most successful tight ends in NFL history, but now I think he's going to be more prolific in the Saints' offense," Rosenhaus said. "I don't think Jeremy could ask for a better situation."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.