Can’t really say I told you so.

The New Orleans Saints will continue to pay the price for trading for tight end Jeremy Shockey.

They're paying the price because they're stuck with a malcontent player who's quit.

What's worse is that this trade will send shock waves into next season, as well.

What happened on the sidelines this past Sunday is the least of the worries for Saints fans.

The Saints can lose their first-round pick in next year's draft to the Giants. And not even have Shockey playing for them next year on top of that.

Trade Rumors Intensify

Back in July when the Saints acquired Shockey for a second and a fifth-round draft pick in '09, many New York Giants fans, including myself, weren't sure about the trade.

Shockey was one of the most popular players on the Giants with fans—you'd go to a game and half the fans were wearing No. 80 jerseys.

Some players were adamantly opposed to the trade—wide receiver Plaxico Burress said, according to the Newark Star-Ledger, "The guy walks on the field and he demands a double-team. Before he even straps it up and goes out to play, he's already made the team better. Him going to New Orleans, he makes them one of the best offenses in the league."

Who couldn’t like the guy after you’d see him dragging defenders along for an extra 10-15 yards after a catch? In six seasons with the Giants, he went to four Pro Bowls, had 371 catches for 4,228 yards and 27 touchdowns. He was a devastating run blocker.

So what if he was a bit of a head case?

Shockey Goes Down, All Hell Breaks Lose

Bear with me as I digress.

He goes down for the season in Week 15 last year against the Washington Redskins. They lose the game and the Giants are desperately needing a win to qualify for a playoff berth. Their two remaining games are at the Buffalo Bills and against the undefeated New England Patriots.

The improbable happens.

A shaky Eli Manning begins to emerge as a leader and his confidence seemingly grows more and more each week. Offensive players not only pick up the slack for the fallen Shockey, they excel. They go on to win a Super Bowl—as a wild card with all their games on the road and as heavy underdogs.

Shockey's Self-Imposed Exile

Throughout this time, Shockey basically separates himself from the team. He wasn't on the sidelines during the Super Bowl, he didn't attend the victory parade, and he wasn't at the ceremony for the unveiling of the rings.

Shockey grows more bitter with each passing remark that the Giants don't need him. He doesn't feel loved.

Things sour. The Saints check on Shockey's availability during the NFL draft. Despite all the contentious things said in the media, Giants general manager Jerry Reese declines the trade.

I can understand why. The Giants had five young tight ends. With Shockey, you have a proven commodity on the field.

But, things really sour. Four months later, Reese picks up the phone and pulls the trigger.

The Saints Get Their Man, And So Much More

It's widely considered at the time that the Giants settled—the picks weren't enough compensation for an all-pro tight end.

The Saints, on the other hand, were now one of the sexy pre-season picks to vie for a Super Bowl.

Oh well.

It just seems like everything's going right for the Giants.

Not so much for the Saints.

Saints Pay a Steep Price for Shockey

Sitting at 4-5 after a loss to the Atlanta Falcons, they're looking up at every team in the NFC South standings. The cracks are beginning to show.

During the game's broadcast, cameras caught quarterback Drew Brees yelling at Shockey on the sidelines. According to reports, Shockey apparently isn't finishing running his routes and that's why Brees had a few choice words for him.

Sound familiar Giants fans?

I'm somewhat shocked. The potential for this trade to backfire for the Saints was always present because Shockey is highly volatile and his ego gets in the way. At the same time, because he's got such a big ego, I thought he'd work hard to prove the Giants wrong.

Reports say that, because Shockey's price tag will spike to more than $3 million next year, he might not get the chance to stay in New Orleans after this season, as they look to dump the salary.

Suddenly it now looks like the Saints paid a steep price with those two picks. With each Saints loss, the picks move higher up the draft board. Meanwhile, the Giants are arguably the best team in the NFL, have an 8-1 record, and will only get better next year because of the extra selections.

To make matters worse, there's an outside chance that the Giants could get the Saints' first-round pick instead of the second.

How the Saints Can Lose Next Year's First-Round Pick to the Giants

In getting linebacker Jonathan Vilma from the New York Jets, the Saints are required to give up a second-round pick if he participates in 85 percent of the defensive plays and if he's signed to a contract extension. Since the Saints can't trade two second-round picks they don't have, the Giants get New Orleans' first-round pick instead of the second and fifth-round pick.

Who knew that Shockey's injury would prove so beneficial for the Giants last year?

Who knew that it would continue to reverberate into this season, as well as, send shock waves into next year?

Maybe, ultimately, Jerry Reese did.

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