Giants Trade TE Shockey

Team acquires two 2009 draft picks in return from the Saints
By Mike Eisen, Giants.com

JULY 21, 2008

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ - The Super Bowl Giants today unveiled their own version of a summer blockbuster, trading tight end Jeremy Shockey to New Orleans in exchange for the Saints’ second and fifth-round draft choices in 2009. The trade is contingent upon Shockey passing a physical exam.

“Jeremy Shockey was a great competitor and contributor during his years with the Giants,” general manager Jerry Reese said. “We wish him well in New Orleans.”

“Jeremy is a very talented football player who always played with great enthusiasm and great effort,” head coach Tom Coughlin said. “He was excited about playing. Jeremy always enjoyed being a physical football player and a tough football player.

“He’s an outstanding football player who plays the game full speed and plays the game the way it was meant to be played. He is a physical blocker who is a gifted athlete with the ball in his hands after receiving the ball down the field. I wish him the best.”

Shockey’s departure leaves the Giants with five tight ends, including second-year pro Kevin Boss, who started the final six games in 2007, including all four playoff contests. The other contenders are Michael Matthews, Darcy Johnson, Jerome Collins and rookie Eric Butler.

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

Shockey is the second high-profile player to leave the Giants in as many months. In June, seven-time Pro Bowl defensive end Michael Strahan retired.

“Jeremy brought great energy to the game every time he stepped on the field," said team president John Mara. "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."

“I really appreciate the effort that Jeremy gave on behalf of our organization," said chairman Steve Tisch. "We had a special relationship, and I wish him nothing but the best.”

Shockey joined the Giants as a first-round draft choice in 2002. He played in 83 regular season games with 82 starts and started all three postseason games in which he has played. His career receptions place him fourth on the Giants’ career list and first among tight ends. The 371 catches leave him second among active tight ends behind Kansas City’s Tony Gonzalez (who has 820 receptions).

Shockey had 4,228 receiving yards (12th in team history) and 27 touchdowns, putting him in a tie with Earnest Gray, Chris Calloway and Ike Hilliard for 11th place on the franchise’s career list.

In postseason play, he had 13 catches for 143 yards and one score.

Shockey was selected to the Pro Bowl four times in his six seasons with the Giants.

In 2007, he started each of the first 14 games before suffering a fractured left fibula vs. Washington on Dec. 16. The injury required surgery and sidelined him for the remainder of the season and the entire postseason. Boss stepped into the starting lineup for the Giants’ run to the NFL championship.

Despite the injury, Shockey finished third on the team with 57 catches for 619 yards. He had at least four catches in a game eight times last season. Shockey’s three touchdown receptions tied Amani Toomer for second on the Giants, behind Plaxico Burress.

Shockey had a career-high 12 receptions and tied a career best with 129 yards vs. Dallas in Giants Stadium last Nov. 11. It was the sixth time in his career he had at least 10 catches in a game. His previous best single-game total was 11 receptions, which he had twice: Nov. 17, 2002 vs. Washington and Oct. 5, 2003 vs. Miami. He had previously gained 129 yards (on just five catches) at Dallas on Oct. 16, 2005.

In 2006, Shockey started all 15 regular season games in which he played and the NFC Wild Card Game. He was inactive for the regular season finale at Washington on Dec. 30 with an ankle injury. That year, Shockey led the Giants with 66 receptions, the second-highest total of his career. They accounted for 623 yards and seven touchdowns, the latter figure tying the career high he set in 2005.

Shockey quickly became a favorite of the Giants Stadium crowds as a rookie in 2002. That year, he was voted the Pepsi Rookie of the Year in balloting by NFL fans and selected first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press, Sports Illustrated, College & Pro Football Newsweekly and Football Digest. Shockey was voted to NFL All-Rookie team and the All-NFC team by Pro Football Weekly

His rookie totals were 74 receptions for 894 yards and two touchdowns. The 74 catches was the fifth-highest total in Giants history, a team record for both rookies (shattering the mark of 48 set by Bobby Johnson in 1984) and tight ends (eclipsing the 66 passes Mark Bavaro caught in 1986). The 74 receptions were the second-most ever for an NFL rookie tight end (Philadelphia’s Keith Jackson had 81 catches in 1988).

In New Orleans, Shockey will be reunited with Saints head coach Sean Payton, who was the Giants’ offensive coordinator in Shockey’s rookie season in 2002.

*The Giants also announced the signing of second-round draft choice Terrell Thomas, the cornerback from Southern California.

Thomas, 6-0 and 199 pounds, was taken by the Giants with the 63rd overall selection of the draft. At USC, Thomas played in 39 games with 28 starts. He recorded 109 tackles (78 solo), four sacks for minus 47 yards and 7.5 stops for losses totaling 61 yards. Thomas forced three fumbles and recovered three others, converting one recovery into a touchdown. He had 22 pass deflections and eight interceptions for 80 yards in returns.

The Giants have signed six of their seven draft choices. The lone unsigned draftee is safety Kenny Phillips, the first-round selection from Miami.

The players are scheduled to report to training camp at the University at Albany on Thursday.

*The Giants also added two offensive linemen to their roster, Shane Olivea of Ohio State and Jonathan Palmer of Auburn.

*The team waived three offensive linemen today: Brandon Torrey, Dylan Thiry and Andrew Bain.

• 1 x 1st round pick
  
• 2 x 2nd round picks
  
• 2 x 3rd round picks
  
• 1 x 4th round pick
  
• 3 x 5th round picks
  
• 1 x 6th round pick
  
• 1 x 7th round pick
  

Saints acquire Shockey for draft picks

By John Clayton
ESPN.com

Updated: July 21, 2008, 6:15 PM ET

Sean Payton's persistence finally won out. The New Orleans Saints acquired Jeremy Shockey for a second- and a fifth-round draft pick in 2009.

"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 Saints had been trying since February to acquire the disgruntled New York Giants tight end. First, they offered a second-round pick. Before the draft, they increased the offer to a second- and a fifth-round draft choice, but the Giants felt he was too valuable to lose until a few days before the start of their training camp.

As Payton and Saints general manager Mickey Loomis did their last few minutes of office work before heading to Jackson, Miss., for Wednesday's start of training camp, they received a call from the Giants saying that Shockey was theirs.

"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."

Even through the weekend, the Saints tried to broker a deal for Shockey. On Sunday, they tried to get in the middle of the Jason Taylor trade to see if there was a way they could make a three-way deal that brought them Shockey, according to multiple sources. Taylor went to the Washington Redskins for a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-rounder in 2010.

Shockey, 28, a four-time Pro Bowler, has 371 catches for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns during his six-year NFL career. He grew disgruntled with the Giants because he wanted to be more involved with some downfield passing. The Giants valued his run blocking.

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."

Giants coach Tom 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.

The Giants still have five tight ends, including Kevin 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," Coughlin said. "The tight end position will be a very competitive position in training camp."

Payton was an offensive coordinator with the Giants during Shockey's rookie season. He caught 74 passes for 894 yards that season.

"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."

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Shockey had become a Giant problem

July 21, 2008 7:19 PM


Posted by ESPN.com's Matt Mosley

New York Giants GM Jerry Reese really wanted things to work out with tight end Jeremy Shockey, but in the end, keeping him wasn't worth the distraction he would've caused. Reese didn't blink when the Saints offered a second and a fifth-round draft choice before April's draft because he thought Shockey was more valuable than that.

Of course, that was before Shockey initiated a shouting match with the normally understated Reese during a mandatory minicamp in June. Though he might not admit it publicly, Reese decided at that point that Shockey no longer had a place in the organization. In the back of his mind, he knew Saints head coach Sean Payton still coveted Shockey, and that's why he was so deliberate.




Marvin Gentry/US Presswire

Newly-traded Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey's act grew tired in New York.
He knew the controversial tight end could show up in Albany, N.Y, for training camp Thursday and cause a scene. And with the team already fighting symptoms from a Super Bowl hangover, it was a risk he wasn't willing to take. Shockey's close friend Plaxico Burress recently voiced his support for Shockey staying with the Giants, but I don't think most players will be terribly upset about the trade. Shockey lost leverage when his teammates made a Super Bowl run without him. He then took the childish route of showing up for a minicamp and hiding out in the locker room.

Shockey is a fierce competitor who could very well help lead the Saints back to the playoffs. But he'd burned too many bridges with the Giants. And don't think this is all based on his recent actions. While brilliant at times, Shockey has always been a lightning rod. His ridiculous remarks about Bill Parcells (which I won't repeat) in a magazine story five years ago spoke to his immaturity and his on-field tirades weren't a good match for the mild-mannered Eli Manning.

My colleague Pat Yasinskas says this trade makes the Saints a "great" offense, but I respectfully disagree. It certainly gives the Saints more firepower, but I'm not assuming that Deuce McAllister will come back strong from a knee injury and that Reggie Bush will suddenly become a game-changing player. The Saints are also missing a viable No. 2 wide receiver at the moment. Second-year player Robert Meachem is essentially a rookie after being inactive for all 16 games last season and David Patten is a stretch as a third receiver.

I realize that the best team in the NFC South can change on a dime because that's what has happened recently, but it seems strange that everyone is jumping back on the Saints' bandwagon. On Monday, New Orleans definitely became a better offense. But the reason this is a win-win trade is that the Giants are a better team without Shockey. If that were not the case, they'd put up with his nonsense for another season.

How is this playing in New York? Well, the Daily News is currently going with a "So Long, Shockey" headline, which seems pretty tame. Columnists such as Gary Myers of the Daily News have been saying Shockey should be traded for months, so I don't think Reese will experience much backlash in the media. I also think most Giants fans had resigned to the fact that the team was better off without Shockey in the long run.

Reese was notably brief in his statement about the trade:

"Jeremy Shockey was a great competitor and contributor during his years with the Giants," Reese said in a statement released by the team. "We wish him well in New Orleans."

Coughlin was much more effusive in his praise, and that's to be expected.

"Jeremy is a very talented football player who always played with great enthusiasm and great effort," Coughlin said in the same statement. "He was excited about playing. Jeremy always enjoyed being a physical football player and a tough football player. He's an outstanding football player who plays the game full speed and plays the game the way it was meant to be played. He is a physical blocker who is a gifted athlete with the ball in his hands after receiving the ball down the field. I wish him the best."

The New York Post is going with "Saint Shockey" on the front of its home page. Here is Paul Schwartz's story on the trade. Schwartz ends the story with this baffling line:

"When healthy, Shockey reportedly did not like how his role in the Giants' offense had been changing from pass-catcher to blocker."

So that's why he was so disgruntled? The Giants were trying to turn him into a blocking tight end.

deranged wrote:Pete how you feel about this? Happy, sad?

Big_Pete wrote:


I am a little disappointed in Jerry Reese though.

This deal was on the table before the draft. But Reese held out becasue he wanted a 4th round pick instead of a 5th. To be honest there isn't huge amounts of difference.

Considering what was on the table, we could have a genuine playmaker.