10 years ago, the New York Giants selected offensive lineman Justin Pugh with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. Pugh spent his first five seasons with the Giants before signing a five-year, $44.75 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals.
He’s back where it all began after signing to the Giants practice squad and showing enough to make the 53-man roster. In what has been a dormant season for the Giants, Pugh’s story is both refreshing and inspiring.
Pugh credits Jerry Seinfeld for helping him realize his desire to return to the Giants and finish where he started. He recently said he saw Seinfeld sitting at a table near his when out to dinner in Manhattan and referred to it as “the most quintessential New York moment of all time.”
It was from that moment that Pugh knew he wanted to be a member of the Giants again. The team gave him a shot and Pugh ran with it. “My whole goal was to come here, prove I’m healthy… I proved I was healthy, I did everything they asked and here we are. So now, I get to wrap this thing up as a Giant,” Pugh told reporters earlier this week.
The timing couldn’t have been much better for Pugh or the Giants given the fact that the Giants offensive line has been decimated by injuries. Left tackle Andrew Thomas, center John Michael Schmitz Jr., and tackles Matt Peart and Josh Ezeudu have all dealt with injuries in recent weeks.
In a seemingly lost season for the Giants, at least there is a feel-good story that can be mentioned.
