New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck (91) against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
New York Giants veteran defensive end Justin Tuck is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career, and he’s excited at the prospect of hitting the free agent waters and potentially being the subject of a bidding war. He’s 30, so this is his last chance at nabbing a big pay day, and I’m sure Tuck intends on making the most of it. It sounds like he really wants to hit free agency and test his value, but I’m sure he’d also be willing to re-sign with the Giants if they give him big money. I doubt that ends up happening, because the Giants don’t carelessly toss their money away and have plenty of other free agents to worry about in what will be a busy offseason for the organization.
The Newark Star-Ledger’s Conor Orr reports that Tuck and the Giants will meet early this month to discuss a new deal, but Orr also expects Tuck to ultimately hit free agency. My belief is that the Giants would obviously love to keep one of their best players and leaders, but they aren’t going to grossly overpay for him. In order for Tuck to sign with the Giants before testing the market, he would have to receive a massive deal from the Giants. It looks like he wants to get paid as much as possible, and he wants to test his value on the market and see what other teams are willing to pay before deciding on staying with the Giants or moving on.
He said, “There’s a chance (I might not get there), but I’m preparing myself to get to free agency, but it might not happen. So we’ll see what happens.”
Most of Tuck’s comments have been vague to this point, so it’s going to be interesting to see how contract talks progress between the Giants and the dual-threat DE.