The Packers, apparently, were willing to beat the offer by the Giants, BUT, they expressed to the agent that they wanted Canty to complete a physical before the number was finalized.
I have NO problem with the Packers passing on a guy when his agent does not want the tem to inspect their investment, prior to doling out the cash.
Giants beat Pack to Canty punch
Now that Chris Canty has signed a six-year, $42 million deal with the Giants, a contract that includes $17.25 million guaranteed in the first two years, here's something to keep in mind: The ex-Cowboys defensive lineman is now better paid than all three of New York's top three defensive ends, Justin Tuck, Osi Umenyiora and Mathias Kiwanuka.
Tuck signed a five-year, $30 million contact that included $16 million of guarantees in January 2008. While Kiwanuka is still working under his relatively modest rookie contract, it's Umenyiora who might have the most unfavorable reaction to Canty's new deal. Umenyiora, who missed all of last season with a left knee injury, is still under the six-year, almost $41 million deal he signed in December 2005. That contract runs through 2012, and includes $15 million of guarantees, but the marketplace has since rendered it a bit out of date. It's expected that Umenyiora will ask the Giants to renegotiate his deal if he has a big comeback season in 2009.
Canty was prepared to leave the Giants complex and fly to Green Bay for a free-agent visit Sunday night -- if New York didn't hit the $7 million per year average that he was seeking. According to a league source I talked with, the Packers weren't scared off at all by the $7 million average salary and would have likely topped New York's offer. But Green Bay, which is switching to the 3-4 defense this year, wanted Canty to come to town and meet the coaching staff before negotiations began in earnest.
The Packers viewed Canty as the best 3-4 end available in free agency, but they traditionally move slow in free agency and weren't prepared to compete with the Giants' offer in negotiations over the phone. But early Friday morning, after the start of free agency, Canty was almost certain he was going to sign with Washington, only to see the Redskins take their deal off the table when they locked up Albert Haynesworth around 5 a.m. Canty had been offered $18 million guaranteed by the Redskins, and he wasn't eager to visit Green Bay if it involved the risk of potentially losing the Giants' deal in the process.
After Haynesworth, Canty and ex-Arizona defensive end Antonio Smith, who signed a five-year, $35 million deal with Houston on Saturday, are the only two free-agent defensive linemen who reached the $7 million average in salary this weekend. -- Don Banks (6:29 p.m. ET)
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