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Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN Staff Writer 11y

Osi Umenyiora, Giants might split

NFL, New York Giants

Osi Umenyiora believes this Sunday could very well be his final game with the New York Giants.

The defensive end is looking for a new contract after this season is up and expects it to come with another team that could give him a starting job as well.

"Is there a high probability that I am going to be playing somewhere else?" Umenyiora asked on a conference call with reporters. "I would say there is a high probability, and that is just me being honest. I am not certain of what is going to happen. Anything can happen.

"We can get into the playoffs," Umenyiora continued. "Anything is possible. But it's a high probability that I'm going to be playing somewhere else and I think everybody knows that. Let's not kid ourselves."

The Giants still can make the playoffs if they beat the Philadelphia Eagles at home on Sunday and Minnesota, Chicago and Dallas all lose.

But Umenyiora knows if the Giants (8-7) fail to make the playoffs one season after winning the Super Bowl, there will likely be changes.

"Definitely. … But where are they going to make the changes is the question," Umenyiora said. "There's no individual, there's no aspect of the team this year that stood out.

"There's nowhere that was up to the standards that we set last year," Umenyiora continued. "If they're going to be making changes, it has to be wholesale changes. Everybody has to leave. There has to be changes for everybody because nobody played above average this year."

Umenyiora restructured his contract prior to the season in a deal that offered no franchise tag limitation, and a voidable 2013 year was also added in order to create some cap room, sources confirmed to ESPN sports business analyst Andrew Brandt.

"Most people want to finish out their career with the team that they started (with), and I fall into that category," Umenyiora said. "I would have loved to have finished my career here, but everybody is not so fortunate. Everybody is not a Michael (Strahan)."

The defensive end has long sought a new contract to replace the seven-year, $41 million deal he signed in 2005.

Umenyiora, 31, has six sacks and two forced fumbles this season. After having 11.5 sacks and 10 forced fumbles in 2010, Umenyiora has a total of 15 sacks and four forced fumbles over the past two seasons while rotating in behind Jason Pierre-Paul and Justin Tuck.

He made it clear that he is still a starter in this league.

"I'm not a situational pass-rusher," Umenyiora said. "I think that's the word that's been going around me for years because most people don't know what they're talking about.

"But there's no football person who's going to actually sit there and watch tape and not think that I'm a starter in this league, and I'm 100 percent sure of that."

And ultimately that is why Umenyiora is open to moving on after 10 seasons in New York.

"If it does, in fact, turn out to be my last game," Umenyiora said, "then it's been a wonderful, wonderful ride."

"I just don't know what is going to happen. There is a chance I could be back here."

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