New York Giants Prince Amukamara looking to make good on team’s ‘investment’
New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara (20) wraps up Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson (10) after reception during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Philadelphia Eagles defeat the New York Giants 36-21. Mandatory Credit: Jim O
New York Giants 24-year-old cornerback Prince Amukamara is heading into his fourth season in the league, and he had a pretty good 2013 season. Although he was up-and-down in coverage, Amukamara made plenty of plays with 85 tackles and 14 passes defended last season, so he asserted himself as a corner who can make strong plays in the running game and can break up a significant amount of passes in coverage.
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The Giants exercised the former Nebraska first-round pick’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, and it will be interesting to see if he can play well enough this year to obtain a long-term pact from the team. Jerry Reese made two big-time moves this offseason at corner, inking Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to a big contract after his terrific season with the Denver Broncos last season, so he nabbed a shutdown corner at the risk of DRC tanking again (you know, like he did with the Philadelphia Eagles). Meanwhile, he signed slot corner Walter Thurmond to an incredibly cheap one-year deal, and Thurmond will be looking to receive a bigger contract when he hits the open market again next offseason.
That leaves Amukamara as the team’s No. 2 corner, and he’s dead-set on having a big year, getting a big contract, and giving the Giants a return on their “investment”. He said, via NJ.com’s Conor Orr, “I don’t expect them to. I don’t think I really gave them a return on their investment yet. And with that being said, I plan on this year being a huge year for me. I’m just focused on playing ball.”
Amukamara is excited to play at a high level for a number of reasons, one being his competitive spirit, one being his desire to win, and another being the chance at receiving a contract akin to what DRC snagged this offseason. In order to get that, Amukamara will have to play like a No. 1 corner, and the former first-round pick is confident that he has the ability to do that. The tools are there, and we’ll see if Amukamara can put it all together next season while lining up across from Rodgers-Cromartie.