Blue line dance
DONALD Penn never had any intention of making his visit to the Giants, which leaves the Big Blue exactly where they were in their search for offensive line help − waiting for Russell Okung.
Now that Penn has re-signed with the Oakland Raiders, just as everyone expected, the 28-year-old Okung remains the best option on the market for filling the vacancy the Giants have on their offensive line. But for the moment, at least, his price remains out of their range. He continued his free agency tour on Wednesday, reportedly visiting with the Denver Broncos. There was a report that he was looking for a contract worth $11-12 million per year.
Given that he’s coming off offseason shoulder surgery and not expected to be ready for football until late spring, he’s not likely to get that much − certainly not right now. But he has met with the Giants, Steelers, Lions, and now the Broncos, and he reportedly has interest from the 49ers as well as his old team, the Seahawks.
The Giants, according to a team source, did discuss money with Okung, who is serving as his own agent, but it wasn’t clear if they made an actual offer.
Meanwhile, an already thin market for offensive linemen got a little thinner when Penn re-signed with the Raiders for two years and $14 million. The Raiders reportedly upped their offer on Tuesday night after Penn’s camp leaked word that he was on his way to visit the Giants. That wasn’t true, but they did tentatively set up a plan for a visit later this week, but that was obviously canceled when the Raiders met his asking price.
Many other possibilities for the Giants have come off the market in recent days, too. The Steelers agreed to terms on a two-year, $3.9 million deal with former Broncos left tackle Ryan Harris on Tuesday, which led to former Steelers tackle Kelvin Beachum signing with the Jaguars. On Wednesday, veteran lineman Evam Mathis signed a one-year, $6 million deal with the Arizona Cardinals − a deal that caused the Cards to cancel their planned visit with former Giants guard Geoff Schwartz.
Unfortunately for the Giants, there aren’t many appealing options left beyond Okung. Cincinnati’s Andre Smith is available, but he’s coming off a bad season. He’s also reportedly already visited the Vikings and drew interest from the Cardinals. The best option might be Broncos guard Louis Vasquez who left a visit with the Tennessee Titans on Tuesday without a contract. It wasn’t immediately clear if he was on the Giants’ radar.