Yahoo! Sports News Reports

The unrestricted free agent period begins Feb. 27, the date when the Giants will learn if they have acquired the New Orleans Saints’ first-round pick (14th overall). The deal that sent TE Jeremy Shockey to the Big Easy included the Saints’ second- and fifth-round picks, but a prior deal in which the Saints acquired MLB Jonathan Vilma from the Jets called for a third-round pick, unless he satisfied certain levels of performance, in which case it would become a second. He did. So what does that have to do with the Giants? The NFL has ruled that if New Orleans has to pay the Jets a second-rounder, the Giants will acquire the first-rounder.