Pass rusher Azeez Ojulari relieved he wasnt traded by Giants

Azeez Ojulari didn’t have to pack up his apartment Tuesday night and can exhale for the remainder of the season.The NFL trade deadline came and went without the Giants shipping their 24-year-old pass rusher to a contender for a draft pick, ending weeks of hard-to-ignore speculation.“It’s cool that I don’t have to move or anything,” Ojulari said after Wednesday’s practice.“I’m happy to be here and ready to keep going.”Ojulari said that he was in contact with his agent throughout the lead-up to the deadline while still trying to go about his regular off day routine.

He found out in the afternoon that he was staying put.“It’s part of the business, but I can’t control that,” Ojulari said.“I feel like everything smooth.

Nothing crazy, nothing scary.”The Giants reportedly received calls about Ojulari but were not willing to move him for less than a fifth-round draft pick despite the likelihood of losing him in free agency after the season.There have been no known extension negotiations, and the Giants already have a pair of top pass rushers in Brian Burns, who is signed to a $141 million deal, plus former No.5-overall draft pick Kayvon Thibodeaux, who is about to be eligible for an extension.Ojulari has five sacks in the past four games — coinciding with a boost in his playing time while Thibodeaux is sidelined after wrist surgery.“I’m happy it’s behind me,” Ojulari said.

“I’m locked in on this [next] game now.I don’t have to focus on all the other stuff or learn a new defense.”The market price for edge rushers was lower than anticipated as Preston Smith (Packers to Steelers) was dealt for a seventh-round pick, Baron Browning (Broncos to Cardinals) went for a sixth-rounder, and Za’Darius Smith (Browns to Lions) and a seventh-rounder returned fifth- and sixth-rounders.Thibodeaux, who will not play Sunday against the Panthers, said Wednesday that he plans to return after next week’s bye.

That addition likely will reduc...