Giants Sign DL Cullen Jenkins to Three-Year Contract

About a half hour ago, the first big name signing in the NFL's 2013 free agency period was reported. Kimberly Jones of NFL Network/NFL.com broke the news, and it will come as a disappointment to Packers fans who were hoping to bring back a former Packer to bolster the team's defensive line:

NYG have signed DT Cullen Jenkins to a three-year deal for $8 million, $3 million guaranteed. Nice pickup.

— Kimberly Jones (@KimJonesSports) March 10, 2013

Now that's a price tag that I would have been happy with had the Packers signed Jenkins. The Giants appear to be getting a bargain on a solid interior lineman, and Jenkins certainly seems like a good candidate to replace the departing Chris Canty.

Now, for anyone claiming tampering here, those rules don't apply. Jenkins was released by the Eagles a few weeks ago, which means that his contract was terminated and he was immediately eligible for free agency. That's different from players with expiring contracts, who can't negotiate until Tuesday. This is also why Chris Canty was able to meet with the Packers a few days ago, as he was released by the Giants in February.

In any case, this takes one potential defensive lineman off the market for the Packers, and will make the market even tighter for veteran linemen this off-season.

Check out Big Blue View, the SBNation Giants Blog, as they're sure to have more on this signing shortly.