Well, cancel those travel plans. Prized defensive end Chris Canty inked a six-year, $42 million contract with the New York Giants. ESPN is reporting that $17.5 million of the deal is guaranteed. The fourth-year pro is expected to slide over to tackle for the Giants, putting his mountain-esque 6′7, 304 lbs body in the middle of already one of the best defensive lines in the game. The Giants also took a strength from one of their division rivals, even though the Cowboys never made an effort for a contract, putting their efforts and resources into re-signing DeMarcus Ware (can’t blame them).
The news is a little disheartening to Packer fans because there were reports on Sunday that Canty narrowed his choices down to the Giants and Packers. However, New York never let him leave his hometown without a contract. The Packers were trying to schedule a visit with the Bronx, NY native for early this week, but will now look elsewhere for help. Losing Colin Cole is not a huge loss and no one was really convinced the Packers would land Canty, but defensive line depth is a now a clear need. Could Igor Olshansky be coming to town for a visit soon? Olshansky is a step below Canty, but not a huge drop. The Chargers are not expected to bring him back and there hasn’t been much talk of where he may end up. Thompson has proven to be buyer after the opening week of free agency, which may be the case with Olshansky. The 26-year-old former Oregon Duck may have not reached his full potential yet and is entering the prime of his career. More I think about it “Igor the Great” is starting to look better and better in Green and Gold.
If there is one silver-lining with Canty signing with the Giants is the money the Packers will be saving. Olshansky or anyone else will come cheaper and the team needs to address next year’s group of unrestricted free agents, primarily Greg Jennings, Nick Collins, Daryn Colledge, and Aaron Kampman. The reality is if Canty was inked by the Packers, it would be very hard to re-sign all four of those players.
In other NFC North news, T.J. Houshmandzadeh-Vikings rumors are getting stronger. After spending about 5 1/2 hours meeting with the team today, The Minneapolis Star Tribune is reporting that Houshmandzadeh is expected to mull over offers from Minnesota, Seattle, and Cincinnati tonight in Minneapolis and make a decision tomorrow. It is believed that the Bengals have the highest offer on the table at five years, while the Vikings and Seahawks are only offering 3 years. With Chad “Don’t call me Johnson” Ocho Cinco also on the way out of Cincinnati, Carson Palmer is trying to convince Houshmanzadeh to stay after taking a look at the team’s potential 2009 depth chart.
If the Vikings are able to land Houshmanzadeh, it will be the second year in a row Minnesota signs the top wide receiver in the market. He is the perfect compliment for Bernard Berrian as well. However, don’t get too worried yet because the QB situation is still foggy for our neighbors to the west. With only a second-round pick needed to acquire Matt Cassel and rumors the Jay Cutler may be on the trade market, you have to wonder if the Vikings are having second thoughts on the Sage Rosenfals trade. Either way, acquiring Houshmanzadeh will definitely help whoever is under center. It is kind of along the belief that if you surround an ugly, nerdy guy at prom with a bunch of beautiful girls, his odds of scoring are better, but not necessarily guaranteed.
Check back tomorrow the latest news.
-Adam Somers
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