Giants, Shockey Agree to 5-Year Contract Extension
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Jeremy Shockey, the Giants’ flamboyant and sometimes spectacular tight end, signed a five-year, $31.2 million contract extension yesterday.
Shockey’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said the deal makes him the NFL’s highest-paid player at his position. It includes a $3 million signing bonus for Shockey, who had two years left on his contract.
The tight end, New York’s first-round pick in 2002, had a spectacular rookie year, catching 74 passes for 894 yards. He was voted both to the All-Pro team and the Pro Bowl.
Shockey has been bothered by injuries the past two years, although he made the Pro Bowl again in 2003. Last year, he was the Giants’ leading receiver with 61 catches, but complained at times about having too many blocking duties in a controlled offense designed to help Eli Manning break in at quarterback.
But with Manning blossoming this year, Shockey has once again regained his form, catching 17 passes for 251 yards and two touchdowns in the first four games, three of them victories. Helped by the addition of wide receiver Plaxico Burress, he has a 14.8-yard average per catch, the best of his career.
Shockey has been controversial on the field and sometimes off it. In the off-season this year, he incurred the ire of coach Tom Coughlin by working out in Miami at a camp run by Rosenhaus for his clients At one point, Manning called him, asking him to join the Giants for their off-season workouts in East Rutherford, N.J.
But Coughlin seemed to relax a bit when Shockey reported for a minicamp in what appeared to be the best shape of his career. About two weeks ago, Rosenhaus began talking about an extension with Giants GM Ernie Accorsi.
“It’s been a very quiet negotiation,” said Rosenhaus, who often has very public ones, such as the spat with the Eagles over a new contract for wide receiver Terrell Owens.
“You have to credit the Giants for extending Jeremy’s contract. The Giants just felt that he deserved it.”