There might have been a deeper intent as well. With Jacobs, who gained 1,089 yards last season for his second plus-1,000-yard season, safely in the fold, the team can now make a concerted effort to re-sign another free agent, fellow running back Derrick Ward (1,025 yards in 2008).

The Giants and Jacobs along with his agent will not have time to negotiate a longer, more lucrative contract, but with the $6.621 million set aside, it might not be impossible for Ward to be retained as well. The pair became only the third set of running backs in NFL history (not counting quarterbacks) to go past the 1,000-yard mark in the same season.

There is still some juggling needed to align the salary cap figures, but with Jacobs "reserved" at $6.2 million, at least the number, however high, won't change.

As always, there are some players who will become free-agent eligible on Feb. 27 whom the Giants will allow to walk. Perhaps the most well-known of this group is the team's all-time leading receiver, Amani Toomer, who at the age of 34 and after a dozen years with the team seems to have moved past his prime.

Jacobs teamed with Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw to create the "Earth, Wind and Fire" unit, and all three have expressed hope that they be allowed to remain with the Giants to keep the team-within-a-team intact. Ward plans to test the market while Bradshaw, who had a year to go under his rookie contract, is currently serving the second half of a 60-day prison sentence for parole violation when he was a juvenile in Virginia.

"We always thought that Brandon would remain a Giant," said head coach Tom Coughlin. "He embodies what we want our team to be like. He's tough, he is competitive and he never stops trying."

General manager Jerry Reese expressed pleasure that the franchise-tag decision was made and that Jacobs handled it so well. "We'll work on a long-term extension," he said. "Brandon will hopefully always be on this team."