What about Bob?

The contract numbers were, as expected, astronomical. Especially for defensive players. Giants free agent safety Gibril Wilson got a six-year, $39 million deal with the Raiders. Oakland re-signed unheralded defensive end Tommy Kelly to a seven-year, $50.5 million deal. Free agent cornerback Asante Samuel got nearly $10 million a year with the Eagles.

Justin Tuck might have cashed in on that financial feeding frenzy, especially if he’d waited to become an unrestricted free agent after next season. Even if he'd waited until later this year to renegotiate his deal with the Giants, the price would surely have gone up.

But there is no second-guessing on Tuck’s part for re-upping to stay with Big Blue in January by agreeing to a five-year, $30 million extension.

“I realize that things happen for a reason,” Tuck told me yesterday at a read-in at the Secaucus Public Library benefitting a Toys for Tots program. "I was excited about my deal and about being with the Giants for a long time. I’m happy for all the other guys making all their money. That means the market will go up for me on the next contract.”

Why not wait?

“What if I didn’t sign and got hurt?” he said. “It would be a whole different ball game. The Giants made a great offer at that point in time, it’s what I was looking for and I signed it.”

Initial reports said Tuck’s deal included $16 million in guaranteed money, but Tuck told me there are actually $23 million in guarantees. The total value of the package is $30 million, but it can go as high as $38 million if he hits several incentives.

Bottom line: Tuck has it all in perspective.

“Thirty million dollars is thirty million dollars,” said Tuck, who grew up in the small town of Kellyton, Alabama. “It’s a lot of money. You know how far that money goes in Alabama?”

In retrospect, the Giants got a very affordable deal with Tuck, who turns 25 later this month. He is coming off a career-high 10 sacks, and showed plenty of versatility by playing both defensive end and defensive tackle. Had Giants GM Jerry Reese not gotten this deal done before the end of the playoffs, Tuck’s pricetag would have spiked considerably, especially after the recent flurry of free agent deals.

The fact that Tuck isn’t second-guessing himself over the timing of the deal makes it even better. That’s what you call win-win.