Shockey's status unclear as locker room opens to media

Eli Manning wants Jeremy Shockey back next season, but does Shockey want to be back?

That’s an interesting question and one that wasn’t exactly cleared up this afternoon when the Giants opened their locker room doors to the media for the first time this offseason. Manning was asked about this offseason’s rumor that won’t die - that Shockey might be traded before the NFL draft. His response was that he’s looking forward to working with Shockey next season.

Then he was asked if he thought Shockey felt the same way.

“I hope so,” Manning said. “I hope he understands we would like him back.”
It’s unclear exactly what Shockey feels about all this, since he’s down in Miami not saying much, and his agent - Drew Rosenhaus - is declining to comment on any Shockey-related subjects. He obviously knows that the New Orleans Saints - and his old buddy, Sean Payton - inquired about him recently. And he probably knows that the Giants aren’t shopping him (or so they say) but are willing to listen to offers, just in case there’s one they can’t refuse.

But what does Shockey want? There are rumors - lots and lots of them - that he’s unhappy in New York and would welcome a trade. One friend of his recently said he’s expressed a frustration with his role in the offense and with the way it’s been portrayed in New York that the Giants’ Super Bowl run started when he got hurt. He’s also apparently a little worried that if the offense tanks next season, people will blame him.

The problem with that, according to the friend, is that Shockey is a volatile, emotional person who complains. A lot. And there can be a big gulf between him expressing his frustrations in a private conversation and rooting for a trade.

Regardless, it’s not Shockey’s call, of course. And as far as I’ve been told, the Giants’ position is unchanged. They are not actively shopping Shockey, nor are they really interested in dealing him. But no one is untouchable (almost no one, anyway) and they’re willing to listen to offers. If the offer is good enough, who knows? Maybe they’d strike a deal. But Shockey is 27, coming off a broken leg, and has yet to make it through a full, 16-game season in his six-year career. Those facts are likely to keep the offers low enough that the Giants won’t be tempted.

Then again, you never know.

(nydailynews.com)