For Giants, OL Russell Okung may be right fit

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Russell Okung could bolster a thin Giants offensive line.

The Giants spent Friday visiting with a Pro Bowl tackle who could be a huge upgrade for their offensive line. But Russell Okung left without a contract, and will make at least one more visit on his free-agent tour.

Okung, the 28-year-old who spent the last six seasons in Seattle, will be visiting the Detroit Lions on Saturday, according to a league source. He has also reportedly drawn interest from the San Francisco 49ers and the source said the Seahawks are interested in bringing him back. The Giants are apparently interested in Okung as a right tackle, even though he has played on the left side for most of his career.

The key with Okung, though, is his health. He missed three games with calf and ankle injuries last season.

But more importantly, he’s recovering from shoulder surgery he underwent in January. He is not expected to be cleared for full football duties until close to training camp in July.

That doesn’t necessarily mean teams won’t try to sign him quickly, but many might want to wait until he’s further along in his recovery before offering him a new contract. His injury also could drive down what otherwise would’ve been a hefty price.

The Giants have looked into several other offensive linemen in the early days of free agency, including former Raiders tackle Donald Penn.

Meanwhile, while Big Blue was visiting with Okung, two Giants found new teams. Defensive end Robert Ayers, who had 9½ sacks for the Giants last season, signed a three-year, $ 21 million deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that guaranteed him $ 10.5 million. And cornerback Prince Amukamara signed a one-year deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The terms of Amukamara’s deal were unavailable, but the length of it was surprising – and likely due to the fact that he missed 13 games with injuries over the last two seasons. The Giants were interested in retaining Amukamara at one point, but he became expendable when they signed Janoris Jenkins to a five-year, $ 62.5 million contract. The Jets looked into signing Amukamara, too

The Giants also attempted to re-sign Ayers before free agency began, but instead ended up re-signing Jason Pierre-Paul (one-year, $ 10.5 million) and signing Olivier Vernon (five years, $ 85 million) at defensive end.

GOTTA HAND IT TO HIM
In an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Friday, Pierre-Paul promised “I won’t need the club this year” on his damaged right hand. He had said at the end of the season that he expected offseason surgery on his hand would allow him to play wearing just a glove, instead of the huge wrap and padding that made it tough for him to grab and tackle. “I’ll be back to the regular JPP, just missing fingers – that’s it,” Pierre-Paul said. … The Giants are interested in Tampa Bay S Chris Conte, who reportedly is also being courted by the Saints and Bucs.

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