Shane Vereen to Giants: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Shane Vereen will call another backfield home in 2015 as the New York Giants officially announced adding the versatile running back on Wednesday.

Vereen provided his thoughts on joining a new team:

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“(I made this) decision with my family,” Vereen said. “At the end of the day, I wanted to make a decision that was right for us, right for them, and this is a great organization. I was fortunate enough to play in New England with another great organization. This is not a step down; if anything, it is a step up. I am looking forward to the opportunity, and I am enjoying being in New York.”

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Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News reported it's a four-year deal that "could be worth more than $16 million total," while Garafolo noted he'll get $12.35 million over three years. 

The chances of Vereen re-signing with the Patriots always seemed remote due to the combination of his contract demands and head coach Bill Belichick's propensity for replacing his running backs.

On Feb. 19, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported the 26-year-old was hoping to get something in the range of $5 million a year. Howe also commented on how that almost certainly sealed his fate in New England:

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Problematically for Vereen, who would like to remain with the Patriots, the franchise has a history of not paying backs. Kevin Faulk's largest deal with the team was for six years and $15.05 million, and Laurence Maroney got $9 million over five years as a first-round pick in 2006. The Patriots barely offered Danny Woodhead anything more than the minimum before he bolted to the Chargers two years ago, and they weren't willing to match LeGarrette Blount's two-year, $3.95 million contract from the Steelers last year. Blount returned on a two-year, $2.35 million deal in 2014, but the second year of the deal is incentive-heavy.

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A few weeks later, Howe noted that Vereen had lowered his asking price, but the Patriots' position remained the same:

Vereen was in a position where taking less money to stay with the Patriots didn't make a ton of sense.

He's coming off a year in which he set career highs in rushing yards (391) and receiving yards (447). Vereen also caught 11 passes for 64 yards in Super Bowl XLIX.

Giants general manager Jerry Reese added in the team release, “Vereen gives us lots of versatility as a receiver and runner. He is one of the best as a receiver out of the backfield or detached, He is very hard to handle for most linebackers. And he has big game experience.”

Running backs have notoriously short shelf lives in the NFL, and a player with Vereen's injury history—he's played a full season once in four years—needs to strike while the iron is hot.

At his age, he's got one, possibly two more big contracts left in his career. He cannot afford to leave money on the table.

Even with plenty of talented running backs hitting the open market, Vereen was bound to collect a healthy deal with a new team.

Now that he's on his way to New York, it will be interesting to see how Vereen performs in his first season outside of New England.

While the team saw solid production out of Rashad Jennings and rookie Andre Williams at times in 2014, Vereen gives the Giants offense another dimension. 

Nobody will expect him to be a feature back for New York. In his four years, Vereen has carried the ball 217 times. Plus, he missed 22 games through his first three seasons.

With that said, Vereen is a dynamic pass-catcher out of the backfield. He's caught 107 passes for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns.

For comparison, Danny Woodhead was a better runner during his time in New England, but the bulk of his value came in the passing game. In his first year with the San Diego Chargers, Woodhead had an impressive 76 receptions for 605 yards and six touchdowns.

Perhaps Vereen can do something similar in 2015.