Osi Umenyiora reportedly won’t have the Giants to complain about anymore.
The veteran defensive end, who became known as much for contract squabbles as production on the field in recent years, is set to bolt Big Blue and sign with the Falcons today or tomorrow, according to an Internet report last night.
Quoting an anonymous source, Pro Football Talk reported Umenyiora is close to catching on with Atlanta to replace the recently released John Abraham after drawing only mild interest in free agency.
Umenyiora practically confirmed the decision in an interview yesterday with an Atlanta radio station, saying “the only thing that would be better than being able to win in New York would be to win here in Atlanta.”
“New York fans definitely expect a lot out of you because of their history,” Umenyiora told Atlanta’s 92.9 The Game. “There was nothing better than to be able to win there. … We’ll see how that plays out [with signing with the Falcons]. Hopefully, it works out in a positive direction.”
Umenyiora’s agent, Tom Condon, did not return a message from The Post last night seeking comment.
If true, Umenyiora’s decision would end a 10-year career with the Giants that featured two Super Bowl titles but was marred the past three years by constant contract complaints and trade demands from 31-year-old former second-round pick from Troy University.
A two-time Pro Bowl pick who was also once a first-team All-Pro selection, Umenyiora had 75 sacks — fourth in Giants history behind Michael Strahan, Lawrence Taylor and Leonard Marshall — but struggled with injuries in 2011 and was reduced to a part-time role last season.
Umenyiora had six sacks in 16 games in 2012 (just four of them starts), matching the second-lowest total of his career.
The Giants never gave in to Umenyiora’s demands for a new contract, nor did they appear to make any effort to re-sign him this offseason, thanks in large part to their overall salary-cap woes.
Coach Tom Coughlin said earlier this month Umenyiora was all but gone.
“Osi’s a free agent,” Coughlin told ESPN radio. “I’m sure he’s going to try the market first. I love the guy. He’s come back and played for us and played hard and played through some things as well. He’s one of the outstanding players that have been in our program for the last few years. But it’ll be a business decision for Osi.”