Jermaine Eluemunor realizes his childhood ambition of playing for the Giants, which started at a game in London.
The first-ever International Series regular-season game took place in London at the iconic (for a different sort of football) Wembley Stadium when the NFL chose to move its operations outside of the nation.
The Giants and Dolphins were picked to introduce this foreign product to a new market in an effort to expand the brand.
Who could have imagined that on October 28, 2007, a 13-year-old Londoner, still naive from his first exposure to the NFL, would watch that game and become enthralled with both the sport and the blue-and-white team?
“I find that helmet and that uniform particularly striking,” Jermaine Eluemunor recently remarked. It is well-known everywhere. Coming to this franchise was always a dream of mine.
Last week, a huge number of players agreed to terms and signed new contracts, relocated to different cities, and were thrilled to start receiving compensation from a new organization that was glad to have them join.
Eluemunor was the next person. With his numerous happy social media posts, this new Giants offensive tackle almost seemed to be bursting off the screen with his genuine and instantaneous excitement.
Eluemunor, 29, is a seven-season NFL veteran who has played for the Ravens, Patriots, and Raiders. He was a spectator for 17 years when the Giants defeated the Dolphins, 13-10, in the rain at Wembley.
Eluemunor enthusiastically embraced this new chapter, so it’s possible that the Giants’ two-year contract worth $14 million, with $6.75 million in guaranteed money, was a kingdom’s worth of gold when it was signed in the first week of free agency.
Indeed, he expressed his gratitude to “Raider Nation” for his three years of service with them.
After that, he went to work sharing his thoughts about joining the Giants. “To say that I’m grateful is an understatement” was one of his posts on X, the former Twitter platform.
“Damn excited to put that beautiful blue helmet on,” he wrote. After requesting and getting approval from former defensive end Osi Umenyiora, who wore that number with the Giants for nine years (and two Super Bowl victories), he confirmed he will wear jersey number 72.
Eluemunor is of Nigerian descent and, like Umenyiora, was born in London.
The frickin’ Giants have something of an unorthodox idea of what role they want Eluemunor to play.
He started all 34 games as the Raiders’ right tackle during the previous two seasons, but Evan Neal, who just recovered from ankle surgery, is now in that position.
After Neal’s problems in 2023, it was decided that a player who could step in and take over should Neal falter again would be on the roster this year; he would not receive any extra credit for being the No. 7 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Giants would prefer to see Neal finally reach his full potential and establish himself as a trustworthy starter. Eluemunor arrives to confront him and, should the need arise, to replace him.
“My versatility is one thing that has helped me get to this position,” Eluemunor stated. “Our left tackle is quite talented. I think Evan Neal is a tremendously outstanding player. He has a lot of promise, in my opinion. I can’t wait to play with JMS and Runyan. I’ll contribute where I’m required.
Eluemunor doesn’t anticipate receiving anything because he has never received anything. After playing rugby and cricket as a youth, he moved with his father to the Denville, New Jersey, region when he was 14 years old, leaving London. There, he picked up football and wrestling. He attended Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania, made his name there, and was not a sought-after recruit before playing at Texas A&M. The Ravens made him a fifth-round pick in 2017.
“You can see how I perform under pressure by watching me on film,” Eluemunor remarked. “I’ve faced a lot of pressure throughout my career, particularly after moving from my previous position to this one, where I feel like I’m finally finding my footing in the industry.”
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