Jacobs, Osi focus on XLVI, not future

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INDIANAPOLIS -- Brandon Jacobs and Osi Umenyiora don't know if they will be New York Giants next season.

But if Super Bowl XLVI is going to be their final game as Giants, they want to go out in style.

"It definitely motivates me to go out with a bang," Jacobs said Tuesday at Super Bowl media day. "If it is, I'll leave with a Super Bowl ring."

Jacobs and Umenyiora have been major contributors to the Giants' two Super Bowl runs in a five-season span. But their futures remain somewhat in doubt, even though both are under contract for next season.

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"I don't know what is going to happen after this game on Sunday," Umenyiora said of the championship game against the New England Patriots. "We'll see."

Jacobs, 29, has a roster bonus of $500,000 due in March. The Giants will have to make a decision on the running back, who restructured his contract to help the Giants re-sign his good friend Ahmad Bradshaw. Jacobs has $4.4 million left on his contract next season.

Umenyiora, 30, also has one year remaining on his contract at just under $4 million. He didn't practice for the first two weeks of training camp, hoping for a new contract or to be traded to a team that would re-do his deal. He and his agent, Tony Agnone, even had a brief window to try and work out a deal before the Giants rescinded the permission.

Umenyiora eventually caved in and returned to play under his current contract. He had nine sacks and two forced fumbles during the regular season. He missed seven games due to injuries.

He has played a pivotal role in the Giants' current winning streak. After missing four straight games due to a high ankle sprain, Umenyiora had two sacks against Dallas to help the Giants win their season finale and clinch a playoff spot. He has compiled 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in the Giants' three playoff victories to get to the Super Bowl.

When asked if he thinks that makes for a nice argument for a raise, Umenyiora smiled.

"You know, it doesn't matter man," said Umenyiora, who had 11.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in 2010. "I went out there and broke the record for forced fumbles (in 2010). I felt like I deserved something then and nothing happened so ... it doesn't matter what I feel like. It is all going to come down to what the team feels like doing."

Jacobs rushed for 571 yards -- his lowest amount since 2006 -- and seven touchdowns in the regular season.

The 6-foot-4 running back said earlier in the season, in an interview with Men's Fitness magazine, that he likely would have to go elsewhere to show what he can still do.

Jacobs does not know what will happen after this game but he said he's honored to be a part of the Giants organization.

"I've never really thought about that and it doesn't really bother me," he said. "I'm sure something is going to get worked out and things will be fine. I am playing in the Super Bowl for the New York Giants. ... I am trying to do as best I can to help this team win."

Umenyiora said at the start of the playoffs that he was cherishing every moment, hinting that this could be his final season as a Giant.

He never thought when he was holding out in camp that his season would end with him at the Super Bowl with the Giants.

"It's crazy," Umenyiora said. "But that's life. I think football is a microcosm of life. It's all ups and downs. I went through a lot of things. This team went through a lot of things. I don't think my season has been any different from the way this team has played this year. It has been all highs and lows."

Umenyiora had said in an affidavit, as part of the players' legal argument against the league during the lockout, that Giants general manager Jerry Reese told him he would get a new contract at some point.

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When asked about Umenyiora's future, Reese said he wanted to focus on the Super Bowl.

"Where am I with Osi? I am in Indianapolis, we are trying to win a Super Bowl," Reese said. "It is not appropriate to talk about offseason issues. We are trying to win a Super Bowl. When offseason comes, we will cross bridges when that happens."

"The training camp and all that stuff, let's just talk about the Super Bowl," Reese continued. "Osi is here, I am glad he is here and he is glad he is here. We want Osi to play great like he has been playing."

Sometime later this offseason, the Umenyiora situation will pop up again. He'll still have a relatively cheap contract, and Jason Pierre-Paul -- who emerged as a Pro Bowl end this season -- will be a starter next season.

Umenyiora said he's not thinking about his future.

"That would be all speculation," he said. "I try not to buy into that or think too much about that, because you really don't know what's going to happen. I'm still under contract here, so I could (hypothetically) think to myself that I'm going to be somewhere else, but that doesn't mean anything."

"This is my second Super Bowl here," Umenyiora added. "I've had a great time. Hopefully, I'll be able to continue here, but it's a business. They're going to make business decisions and that's pretty much it."

Ohm Youngmisuk covers the Giants for ESPNNewYork.com.

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Ohm Youngmisuk

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Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade. He joined ESPNNewYork.com after working at the New York Daily News for almost 12 years and is a graduate of Michigan State University.
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