Kerry Collins is no longer a member of the New York Giants. Could he end up with one of their bitter rivals?
Jerry Jones, Bill Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys reportedly would consider adding Collins.
Dallas has Quincy Carter, who was the starter last season. The Cowboys have Drew Henson, who is their starter of the future, and they also have Chad Hutchinson. Collins, 31, could be a good option to bridge the gap between Carter and Henson.
"I think, for sure, you have to give that a look because we have a lot of respect for him," Jones told the New York Times. "He's beaten us more than we've beaten him. ... No organization would have more respect for him than us."
Collins, 31, who helped the Giants get the 2001 Super Bowl, likely will draw interest from many teams.
Another NFC team, the Cardinals, says it has no interest in Collins, vice president of football operations Rod Graves said. Graves denied a published report that the Cardinals have contacted Collins' agent.
Collins refused to renegotiate his Giants contact, leading to his release. He was to earn $7 million this season and count $8.95 million against the salary cap. "I figured there was no reason to hang around," Collins told The Associated Press.
The Giants have said they will sign a veteran quarterback who might start the season to pave the way for Manning. The Mississippi quarterback was taken by the San Diego Chargers with the first overall pick in the draft and shipped to New York.
"Kerry Collins played his heart out for the Giants and took us to the Super Bowl," general manager Ernie Accorsi said.
"Unfortunately, the economics of the system we work in today determine these most difficult decisions," Accorsi added.
Collins revived a career beset by troubles on and off the field after signing with the Giants in 1999. He became the starter halfway through that season, then led New York to its third Super Bowl the following season.
The Giants also made the playoffs in 2002.
Collins is second on the team's career list with 1,447 completions, trailing only Phil Simms. He is third in pass attempts (2,473) and passing yards (16,875), behind only Simms and Charlie Conerly in both categories. Collins' 81 TD passes rank fifth on the Giants' career list.
Neil O'Donnell has drawn interest from the Giants as a replacement to Collins and backup/tutor/mentor to Manning. According to the New York Post, the Giants inquired about O'Donnell last weekend in the hours after trading for Manning.
4/29/04