Van took a look at another free agent (RFA) possibility in Brandon Marshall earlier and CaliRamMan has a post about this very topic (I didn't see it originally- he beat me to the punch). An article the New York Post may have some implications for the Rams. The player I am speaking about is Osi Umenyiora, someone who knows current Rams coach Spagnuolo very well. He states:
I would love to be here, but the situation cannot continue the way it is...I am all in, but I think I am too good of a player for this kind of situation.
It seems like a perfect fit on paper. The Rams need help on the defensive line, Osi is a 28 year old, well established player with large ties to current Rams coaches, who'd probably love to have him aboard. The disagreement seems to stem from the new DC Bill Sheridan (again, making the paper implications even better) and the article says they've haven't had a good relationship:
Umenyiora back in the preseason walked out of practice after a disagreement with first-year defensive coordinator Bill Sheridan. Clearly, the two do not have a warm-and-fuzzy relationship.
The article also points out that Tom Coughlin seemed indifferent on the matter, but did say the Umenyiora was a "big part of the team's future." Take that PC statement however you will, but this clearly isn't Terrell Owens like disruption. It is going to be interesting to see if the coaching staff sticks with Sheridan and if they do, how players like Osi will react. It doesn't appear to be that simple though, as Umenyiora has reiterated many times he enjoys New York:
I hope I'm here, I'd love to be here. I'm definitely under contract here. I can't really tell you I'm going anywhere. It's all in their hands.
Just like Brandon Marshall, there is a good chance nothing will happen. Teams and players have reconciled before, but it is always worth a look, especially when your head coach is a old defensive coordinator, whom players seem to love, coaching on a team desperate for defensive line help and the player in question is desperately seeking to play. It seems like a slam dunk to say that if anything would happen, the Rams would be on a short list of teams a Giants player would want to go to, but it appears that anything but a trade would be out of the question.
Food for thought.