Could be, says Giants GM Jerry Reese.
From NY TIMES:Giants’ Strahan May Be Calling It QuitsALBANY, July 26 – Giants defensive end Michael Strahan did not arrive for the start of training camp Friday and is contemplating retiring, according to Jerry Reese, the team’s general manager.
The 35-year-old Strahan, who has played 14 seasons and been named to seven Pro Bowl teams, tried to reach coach Tom Coughlin late Thursday night. Coughlin said he returned the message on Friday morning, but by 1 p.m., when players were required to take part in a conditioning drill that marks the official start of training camp, Strahan had not called back and his whereabouts were unclear, Coughlin said.
Reese said he received a call from Strahan’s agent, Tony Agnone, at 7 p.m. on Thursday. Agnone said that Strahan was considering retirement, something that the Giants did not expect, Reese said.
“I thought it was a little late notice, you know, but that’s the way the National Football League works sometimes,†Reese said. “And I just told him if he’s ready to retire, we wish him Godspeed and we’ll see what happens. Tony said, ‘You know, Jerry, he might wake up in the morning and say, I want to play.’â€
Agnone did not immediately return a message seeking comment.
There had been speculation that Strahan was unhappy with his contract. He has two seasons remaining on a seven-year deal he signed in 2002, and is scheduled to earn $4 million per year in 2007 and 2008.
But none of those reports came from Strahan himself, and Reese said Agnone had not raised the subject on Thursday.
“Who knows?†Reese said when asked if it might be an attempt by Strahan to get more money. “Until I talk to Michael, we’ll see. I don’t want to speculate what it’s about. Maybe he’s just tired and he wants to retire.â€
After a nasty divorce battle, Strahan was ordered by a court to pay $15.3 million to his former wife, Jean, and to pay $18,000 per month in child support for their twin daughters. He met with the Giants last spring to discuss the possibility of restructuring his contract.
The Giants are in no mood to do so. Strahan missed seven games last season with a foot sprain, and was expected to practice only once on training camp days when two practices were scheduled. He missed half of the 2004 season with a torn pectoral muscle.
Last year, he shouted at a television reporter in the team’s Giants Stadium locker room. Strahan had made comments on the radio about the perception of receiver Plaxico Burress and his lackadaisical body language, and when reporters wanted to discuss it with Strahan, he lashed out – another combustive episode as a once-promising Giants season slinked to an 8-8 finish.
Coughlin was asked if Strahan’s indecisiveness about attending training camp would be a distraction to his team, which begins practice on Saturday.
“I hope not,†Coughlin said. “We have had enough of those.â€
Strahan is on the brink of several team records. His 132 ½ career sacks is tied with former linebacker Lawrence Taylor atop the franchise list. Strahan has played in 200 regular-season games for the Giants, third-most in team history, and could break the mark this season. Howard Cross played in 207, and George Martin played in 201.
Should he decide to retire, however, the Giants will have to tinker with their roster. They had moved defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka, the team’s top draft choice in 2006, to outside linebacker as a way to get him on the field. Kiwanuka’s transition could be aborted.
Reese will also look for other replacements. Tampa Bay cut 33-year-old Simeon Rice on Thursday. He is coming off a shoulder injury in 2006 but has 121 career sacks.
“We are not going to wait long,†Reese said of making moves.
It is the second consecutive season that Strahan has been a dominant story on the usually mundane reporting days at the University at Albany.
Last year, Strahan emerged from his car and told reporters that he would not speak to them because of the widespread reports of his divorce battle. He continued the silent treatment for several weeks during the preseason.