Jumbo Elliott, a mainstay of the Giants offensive line for eight years, used the free agent route Saturday to move to New York's other NFL team, the Jets.
Elliott agreed to a five-year deal said to be worth between $15 million and $16 million. It was another major step for the Jets following a season in which they went an NFL-worst 3-13."This turns our weakest area into one of the strongest, if not the strongest," Jets coach Rich Kotite said
The 6-foot-7, 308-pound Elliott, drafted by the Giants out of Michigan in 1988, will be making only a small move on home game days. The Jets also play at Giants Stadium, but use a different locker room.
Elliott, a left tackle, will be joined next season by right tackle David Williams, signed as a free agent earlier this month.
The Jets hope the strengthening of their offensive line will be an additional argument to convince free agent quarterback Neil O'Donnell to leave the Pittsburgh Steelers and take advantage of the newly built protection.
"It will help us in our quest for a new quarterback," said Kotite, who confirmed that the Jets are pressing their efforts to sign O'Donnell.
Elliott, however, is better known for his run-blocking talents than for protecting the passer, though he has shown talent there, too. Either way, he is regarded as one of the best offensive linemen in the league.
A concern the Giants may have had in deciding how far to go in trying to keep Elliott is his history of back problems, dating to 1993 when he missed five of the last seven games because of a herniated disk.
Elliott, who will be 31 on April 1, said his back isn't a problem.