Players who made significant contributions to the Super Bowl winning season, both on and off the field, continue to leave the Giants.
Dave Tollefson, a reserve defensive end and popular presence in the locker room, will sign a two-year, $2.5 million contract with the Raiders, a deal that could be worth up to $3 million with incentives.
The Giants knew this was coming. They made a modest offer to keep Tollefson, an offer they expected would be surpassed on the open market. Tollefson visited with the Seahawks, Packers, Raiders and Titans and ultimately decided to return to the West Coast, as he grew up in the Bay Area of California. Two other former Giants, Brandon Jacobs and Mario Manningham, also departed for the West Coast, signing earlier in free agency with the 49ers.
“This is the bad part of the business,’’ former teammate Justin Tuck posted on his Twitter account. “Dave will be missed.’’
Tollefson, 29, had been with theGiants since 2007 and was a reserve defensive end and a solid special teams contributor on two Super Bowl-winning teams. He had a career-high five sacks this past season and made his only two NFL starts. Although he provided quality depth, the Giants were not going to extend themselves financially to keep him, with Tuck, Jason Pierre-Paul and Osi Umenyiora all returning at defensive end and linebacker Mathia Kiwanuka always one position change away from going back to defensive end.