Former New York Giants RB Tiki Barber has filed papers for reinstatement to the NFL and plans to return to the gridiron for the 2011 season. Barber, 36, retired early and somewhat unexpectedly from the Giants in 2006 in order to pursue a career in television. The decision drew ire from Giants fans far and wide who questioned his toughness and commitment to the team as he was coming off the most productive years of his career. Barber would further alienate himself from the Giants fan base after his retirement by criticizing Giants head coach Tom Coughlin and the leadership ability of QB Eli Manning.
The Giants won the Super Bowl in 2007 in case anyone forgot.
Barber spent time after his retirement working as an on-screen analyst for NBC's Football Night In America program for several years before the network decided not to renew his contract following the 2009 season. Tiki had been working for Yahoo! Sports last season.
I'm not sure how much a 36 year old tailback can contribute to an NFL team after being absent from the game for 4 years but clearly one or more teams has expressed enough interest in Barber to bring him back for one more go. I wouldn't be entirely surprised to see a team like the New York Jets or the Dallas Cowboys make a move for Barber considering he will likely be paid the minimum for a league veteran which is around $750,000-$850,000 a year. However the most likely landing spot for Tiki will probably be Tampa Bay where he would have the chance to play with his twin brother Ronde who recently signed a 1-year extension with the Bucs.
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