The biggest drama of the New Orleans Saints’ offseason has been resolved, as the team finally acquired tight end Jeremy Shockey from the New York Giants. The Saints have been aggressively pursuing Shockey for months and a draft-day trade was widely expected back in April, but the Giants declined the Saints’ reported offer of second- and fifth-round draft picks for Shockey.
The G-men reversed course yesterday and took the deal — largely because it became crystal-clear that Shockey was fed up with the Giants and becoming a major media distraction. He boycotted parts of the Giants’ June minicamp, and reportedly got into a screaming match with Giants’ GM Jerry Reese.
Assuming Shockey stays healthy, he should bring a big boost to the Saints'
potent offense. Early reaction to the trade is mixed; Sports Illustrated’s Michael Lombardi loves the move , while veteran Times-Picayune sportswriter Peter Finney doesn’t mince words in his column today , opening with the sentence, “I don’t like it.”