If you were Jerry Reese (the New York Giants GM), what would you do?

You have one of the premiere defensive ends in the National Football League on your roster, demanding a 40% per year pay increase for four years longer than his existing deal. Over his last three full NFL seasons, this player has tallied 31.5 sacks AND an astounding 19 forced fumbles – including 10 in 2010. He is 29 years old, and clearly in the prime of his football career.

Is Osi worth the money? Based on what he does for the Giants defense, he certainly is…or is at least pretty close to being worth it.

But if the financial decision is not to pay him, what would you expect to draw from his services? Think about it. There are roughly about 15 defensive players who tally 10 or more sacks each season – in the entire league. Double-digit sacks usually indicate the gold-standard in pass rushing, and to combine that with a knack for creating possible turnovers would seem to elevate Umenyiora into a platinum category.

So, given that, would you part with Osi for anything other than a first-round draft pick?

Will Umenyiora's situation serve as a season-long distraction for the Giants?

I think it’s fair to say that Umenyiora is really worth even more than that. The NFL is a league where very little is guaranteed, particularly when analyzing the potential success of newcomers to the league. Would you expect that a first-round pick be able to yield the type of production that the Giants Pro-Bowler does? I don’t think it would be expected, but you would definitely hope that the upside is there.

Let’s look at this from a practical standpoint. There have been 14 defensive end prospects drafted in the first round since 2008. Of those 14, only one has managed double-digit sacks in a season. And the one that did – Brian Orakpo with 11.0 in 2009 – did it after transitioning to the linebacker position.

What does that mean? Although, fans and players may feel that Jerry Reese’s behavior has been villainous, his job is to properly manage the resources that he has on his team.

And there would be absolutely nothing proper about getting anything less than a first-rounder for Umenyiora.

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author