NFL
This Christmas, Justin Pugh will get down to business as the Giants’ left guard and take to Lincoln Financial Field to take on the struggling Eagles in what is expected to be a tough holiday season.
Next Christmas, where will Pew go?
Will he leave behind his helmet and pads and embark on a career in real estate to focus on interest rates and real estate locations? Or will he play for the Giants, who worked hard for 12 seasons in the NFL and are the only team he and the team would consider if he decided to give it another year?
The possibility of a continued relationship became more likely on Dec. 11, when the Giants won 24-22 on a field goal by Randy Bullock as time expired, extending their winning streak to three games.
“I enjoy playing football,” Pugh told the Post after the game. “That’s a height you can’t get anywhere else. When I made that game-winning kick, I watched MetLife and thinking about it gave me goosebumps. That’s why I came back.”
Goosebumps turned to cold sweats after left guard Pugh played his worst game of the season in a 24-6 loss to the Saints in New Orleans last week.
He felt hard on himself for failing to protect rookie quarterback Tommy DeVito and for his role in causing DeVito to be sacked seven times.
Pugh lamented that he was involved in four of the sacks.
“This is a great time to show who you are as a man and who you are as a player,” Pugh said after Wednesday’s practice. “It’s going to be a bad game. I didn’t work Sunday, but that’s how you bounce back from that adversity and that’s what I’m going to do. That’s why I’m here.”
Pugh was someone the Giants desperately wanted when he was originally signed to the practice squad on Oct. 3.
Pugh is rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered in Week 6 of last season, effectively ending his five-year stay with the Cardinals.
He spent his first five NFL seasons with the Giants as a 2013 first-round pick out of Syracuse, starting 72 games. He signed a five-year, $45 million contract with the Cardinals in 2018.
Twelve days after returning to the Giants, Pugh started at left tackle in place of the injured Andrew Thomas and played all 77 snaps in a 14-9 loss to Buffalo, but Pugh did not appear in the pregame broadcast introduction. It was a remarkable show of stamina, considering it was aptly announced. It came “right off the couch.”
Pugh eventually took over at left guard and played in 564 of a possible 565 snaps on offense over the past nine games.
On a team that wasn’t packed with great players, Pugh quickly emerged as a leader, bringing the group together for weekly dinners and advising young players on issues on and off the field.
Recently, rookie center John Michael Schmitz asked Pugh for advice on the tax implications of purchasing real estate.
“I didn’t know about him until I got here,” coach Brian Daboll said. “I mean, he was a professional in that field. I think he contributes in a positive way to all the young players. He did everything we asked him to do. We’re glad we were able to get him. good.”
Second-year tight end Daniel Bellinger’s locker is adjacent to Pugh’s corner stall.
“The biggest thing I feel is his leadership, how he can lead a group of players,” Bellinger told the Post. “It’s definitely a cool thing to see. It’s like, ‘Okay, if I were in his shoes in 10 years, what would I want to be?'”
It was difficult for Pugh to be separated from his wife, who is pregnant with their first child and remains in the Phoenix area. If Pugh rejoins the Giants, his wife and daughter will be with him in New Jersey.
Will he be heard back? Pugh will turn 34 on Aug. 15, the start of 2024 training camp. Would general manager Joe Schon be interested in him as an older offensive lineman? Pugh has experience at both guard and tackle, so he could return as the starting left guard or as a backup.
“It’s up to Joe and how they want to build the team going forward,” Pugh said. “I think I definitely contributed and helped. I haven’t hurt the team since I’ve been here, so I think that’s a positive thing.”
Pugh was unable to practice football this season as he was rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery and arrived weighing just 290 pounds.
He is confident he can move up to 300 pounds if he plays in 2024.
Pugh didn’t explicitly say he wanted to stay with the Giants, perhaps because he didn’t want to come out and lobby for himself. He did say, “Real estate can wait,” and gestured to the locker room, where he always enjoys.
“You can’t take this back,” he said.
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