12:54 p.m. | Updated Three starters from the 2007 Super Bowl team have now left the Giants, but one may soon be returning. And the Giants also made clear the coach isn’t going anywhere, extending Tom Coughlin’s contract through 2012.
Defensive tackle Barry Cofield agreed to terms on a six-year contract with the Redskins on Tuesday. Cofield was the fourth significant departure of the day: the starting offensive linemen Rich Seubert and Shaun O’Hara, as well as top backup Shawn Andrews, were informed of their release earlier in the day.
Meanwhile, Plaxico Burress said he would speak with the Giants about a possible return to the team, according to The Star-Ledger.
“It’s going to be crazy,” Burress said, noting that he has been critical of Giants Coach Tom Coughlin in recent radio interviews. “I really don’t know what I am going to say. I’m just going to go in there tomorrow and speak from the heart.”
Burress suggested on Tuesday that he would meet with Coughlin at Giants headquarters, but under the rules outlined for this off-season, free agents are not yet allowed to visit team facilities. The Giants may meet Burress on an off-site location.
Burress caught the game-winning pass in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XLII and caught 244 passes in four seasons with the Giants. Burress, who turns 34 in two weeks, has not stepped onto the field since accidentally shooting himself in the leg in a New York night club in November 2008, which resulted in a 22-month prison term.
Burress was a controversial figure even before the nightclub incident: he held out of minicamp in May of 2008, and earned $45,000 in fines and a suspension by the Steelers for unsportsmanlike conduct after a 2004 game.
Burress has said his relationship with Coughlin was not a good one and Coughlin’s support from Giants management has been strong. They announced a one-year extension of his contract, which means it will run through 2012.
“As I was when I was hired in 2004, I am grateful for the opportunity,” Coughlin said in a statement released by the Giants. “To be the head coach of the New York Giants is the fulfillment of a dream for somebody who grew up where I grew up and when I grew up.”
If Burress does sign with the Giants, it will affect the team’s free agent strategy. Receiver Steve Smith, coming off a major knee injury, may be allowed to test the open market. Even with numerous departures, the Giants are very close to the $120 million salary cap and can not afford to spend much on the open market.
Cofield started 75 games in five seasons for the Giants, recording 10.5 sacks. Marvin Austin, this year’s second-round pick, is expected to compete with Linval Joseph, last year’s second round pick, for Cofield’s starting job.
Shawn Andrews started four games at left tackle last season and also saw action as the sixth lineman when the team used a jumbo formation.
The oft-injured Andrews was due to make $7.5 million this year, so his departure was expected. Coming on the heels of the releases of Seubert and O’Hara, the Giants must now replace long-time starters at center and guard, plus their first lineman off the bench. Seubert, O’Hara, and Andrews combined to start 29 games last season.
To that end, the Giants answered a major question by agreeing to terms with center-guard David Baas on Wednesday morning. Baas, a former second-round pick by the 49ers from University of Michigan, started at center and both guard positions during his six-year career. Baas started 16 games at center last year and did not allow a sack according to Football Outsiders. He is expected to fill the void left by Shaun O’Hara, who was informed of his release on Tuesday.
The Giants also officially announced the hiring of Larry Izzo as assistant special teams coach. Izzo made three Pro Bowls as a special team player and earned three Super Bowl rings as a member of the New England Patriots.
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