New York Giants sign veteran defensive tackle Shaun Rogers before 2012 draft – NFL News
In an attempt to further strengthen their defensive unit, the New York Giants signed veteran defensive tackle, Shaun Rogers, just a few hours before 2012 National Football League (NFL) draft was scheduled to start on Thursday, April 26, 2012.
Rogers, 33, started his professional NFL career in 2001 with Detroit Lions.
He has been playing as starter since his rookie season in which he posted a total of 81 tackles. Rogers played seven seasons for Lions before the team traded him to the Cleveland Browns.
After his second season with Browns, it was rumoured that the team management was planning on trading him. However, nothing like that happened and the team extended its association with the player for one more year before eventually releasing him last year.
After leaving Cleveland, Rogers joined New Orleans Saints and played the last NFL season with them. With Saints’ he played 16 games of regular season and started four of them. He made a total of 22 tackles during the season.
The Saints did not give him another contract after the season and eventually released him.
After agreeing to terms with Giants, Rogers is joining the defensive squad in which players of high stature like Justin Tuck and Jason Pierre-Paul are already present.
Rogers feels honoured to join them and has expressed hopes for Giants won another Super Bowl.
He said:
“I’m kind of honoured and I appreciated them holding me in a regard enough to put me in along those guys. Those guys are most definitely top-notch pass rushers, defensive linemen right now, especially in their prime. I’m just happy to be a part of that group,
those guys are going to help me out and hopefully I can help them out.”
He added:
“Hopefully, we can be another Super Bowl champion. You get an opportunity to join an organisation of this calibre with lofty goals and a great track record, you go ahead and do that.”
After playing one season with Saints when Rogers did not get a contract extension, the player confessed to have thought that his professional career was over.
However, with Giants giving him a contract, he is now hopeful of utilising his experience to serve his new team.
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