Even though ascending receiver Steve Smith is anxious to cash in and does not want to play out the final year of his original rookie contract, he promises to be an on-time arrival Aug. 1 when Giants training camp opens up in Albany.
Smith is adamant but not militant in his desire to secure a new deal. He’s scheduled to make $550,000 this season, which doesn’t cut it for a player who shattered the franchise’s single-season record for receptions with 107. He was the first Giant to lead the conference in catches since Bob Tucker in 1971. Smith was third in the NFC with 1,220 receiving yards and led all Giants receivers with seven touchdowns.
The Giants want to lock him up with a multi-year deal, but the timing makes it difficult. With no new Collective Bargaining Agreement for the 2011 season, the league is set for an uncapped year, meaning the Giants can offer Smith only a 30-percent increase in base salaries. The Giants can inflate any new contract with bonus money, but they do not want to guarantee the vast majority of any contract they write.
“I understand it’s making it tough on both sides,” Smith recently told The Post. “It’s bad timing for me to be doing well in the National Football League.”
Smith isn’t making noise or creating controversy the way cornerback Darrelle Revis has dominated the Jets’ offseason by skipping OTAs or taking himself off the field during mini-camp. Revis may not show up for training camp if he isn’t satisfied financially, despite having three more years left on his deal.
“I feel Revis deserves it, but he’s still has a lot of years remaining on his contract,” Smith said. “This is my last year. I feel like I’ve accomplished some good things here so I hope the people here respect that and honor that.”
As a top-tier possession receiver — his 38 third-down receptions led the NFL — Smith was the first Giants receiver in 41 years to play in the Pro Bowl. He’s not a game-breaker but is a chains-mover and Eli Manning has come to view him as a security blanket. Smith is not looking to break the bank.
“I deserve to at least be getting what these other players in the NFL are getting, like a Greg Jennings, at least,” Smith said.
Jennings a year ago signed a four-year extension with the Packers for $26.8 million, including $16.25 million in guaranteed money.
Smith knows playing with only one year left on a contract is not desirable, citing former Jets running back Leon Washington as Exhibit A of what can go wrong. Washington last season was getting paid $535,000 when he suffered a broken right leg Oct. 29 in Oakland.
“It’s tough going out there like a guy like Leon Washington, he got hurt,” Smith said. “You can’t really control that.”
Smith’s agent, Ben Dogra, last night told The Post, “There is nothing going on with Steve and contract negotiations at this time.”