Kenny Phillips may not return

Around half of the Giants' 2012 roster has a realistic chance of moving on this offseason. General manager Jerry Reese was asked on Monday if he'd put the number around 23 players in total.

“It's a pretty big number, but nothing we can't handle,” Reese said.

The truth is, that number is a touch low.

But Reese and the Giants have been in this position before and by making some tough choices and getting a handful of players to renegotiate cap-friendly deals, the franchise has remained competitive.

This year could be different, though. The Giants have a wave of cheap, young talent (RB Andre Brown, WR Victor Cruz, S Stevie Brown, among others) that will likely enter restricted free agency, and then there's a group of veterans that include DE Osi Umenyiora and S Kenny Phillips who might be too expensive to retain.

“We evaluate everybody,” Reese said. “There's going to be changes. There's changes every year. It's part of the business.”

Phillips: Phillips battled knee problems again this year, but said he showed teams he was healthy by returning for the final game of the season. When asked if he'll be back, though, Phillips didn't seem confident.

“It's hard to say,” said Phillips, who had a brief conversation with Reese on Monday. “I don't know. After they move some people around and make some decisions, there's no telling. Maybe they want me back. Maybe not, but that's up to them.”


(profootballweekly.com)