Strahan may be nearing return

Michael Strahan likely will inform the Giants this week that he’s returning to play this season and could rejoin the team as early as Saturday, when the Giants play the Jets in a preseason game at Giants Stadium, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person, who requested anonymity, said that Tony Agnone, Strahan’s Baltimore-based agent, met with Giants general manager Jerry Reese yesterday and indications were that Strahan, who has missed all 24 days of training camp and accrued fines totaling $342,912 to date, would be ready to end his holdout and thoughts of retirement and join the team for the final two weeks of the preseason.

Reese declined to comment last night. Agnone, who attended last night’s game, said that Strahan still had no timetable to make his decision, nor had he made one yet.

“It could be this week, it could be next week, it could be the week after,” Agnone said.

Agnone did say that Strahan — whose family is urging him to retire, according to an NBC report last night — knows he needs to inform the Giants sooner rather than later about his plans, particularly if Strahan decides to play.

“He does want to get his work in and be ready for the season, if that’s what he chooses to do,” Agnone said.

Strahan has been working out on his own in Southern California since July 27, when he was supposed to report to Albany for camp.

The person with knowledge of the situation said the Giants were unlikely to force Strahan, who is due to earn $4 million this season, to pay the entire amount of the fine, which would reach $400,064 by Thursday. “They’re not looking to embarrass him,” the person said. “He’s meant too much to the organization.”

Reese said last week that if Strahan were going to play this season, he needed to get back on the field and start learning a new defense.

“You just can’t show up and play in the National Football League,” Reese said. “If he decides to come, I think he will be here soon, but it’s still his decision and we’ll see what happens in the next few days.”