Osi Umenyiora Retires: Top Quotes, Highlights from DE's Ceremony with Giants

Two-time Super Bowl champion Osi Umenyiora announced his retirement Wednesday and was honored with a ceremony by the New York Giants, with whom he spent the first decade of his career.

While the 33-year-old defensive lineman confirmed he received an offer to keep playing as recently as Tuesday, in his mind, there were only two options, per Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Conor Orr of NFL.com reported the Jets had offered the defensive lineman a contract. 

"Either I was going to play for the Giants or I wasn't going to play at all," Umenyiora said.

The Troy product, who spent the last two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, finishes his career with 435 combined tackles, 85 sacks, 35 forced fumbles and 14 fumble recoveries. Along with the pair of Super Bowl titles with the Giants, he earned two Pro Bowl nods and a first-team All-Pro selection.

Umenyiora stated that even though he played in Atlanta for two years, his heart never left New York. He joked that he found himself "openly cheering" for the Giants during flights with the Falcons, via Garafolo.

"There's nothing like winning here in New York. There's nothing like losing here, either," he said, as noted by Art Stapleton of the Record.

The Giants also played a highlight tribute to the defender, as showcased by Jordan Raanan of NJ.com:

Longtime Giants head coach Tom Coughlin paid tribute to one of the stalwarts from the championship years, per Michael Eisen of the team's official site:

"

Osi was a huge, huge part of those teams. That's the connecting link with all the guys. When they go away and then call back and talk, I express how much they mean to me as individuals, and I have to Osi. And he will respond in the same way about his time here and what great memories he has and how fond his thoughts are of winning Super Bowls XLII and XLVI. In my mind, when I think of 42, I see 92, 72, 91 (the ends' jersey numbers) walking away with (New England quarterback Tom) Brady laying on the ground. I'll never forget that picture. That's a beauty.

"

Former teammate Shaun O'Hara sung the defensive end's praises on Twitter:

Looking ahead, the team pointed out Umenyiora said he's already got another job lined up working with the NFL in London, where he was born.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

Getting global fanbases involved is a major part of the league's long-term outlook, and it's set to play three more games in the English capital this season.

Umenyiora always represented the Giants well on and off the field, building a bond that held strong throughout his time in Atlanta. He returned to New York to retire, and now he's moving on to the next stop in his football journey.