Justin Pugh is excited about hitting free agency for the first time in his NFL career.

The New York Giants former first-round pick has played left guard at an elite level and right tackle at an above-average level during his first five years in the NFL, but injuries have plagued him in all but one season. The injury factor is the one reason why some are skeptical about the Giants offering Pugh the lucrative long-term contract he is aiming for.

"I want to win. I want to win now," Pugh said to Giants reporters on Monday. "I'm excited for the first chance to choose where I play and the situation that I'm in.

"I’ve been in five years. I only made the playoffs one time. Being in a good situation, being close to home was great for me. Being so close to my family. Always having them around. So, all those things go into it. I’m looking forward to getting to it and it’s an exciting time. This is the first time I’ll ever get to choose where I play and the situation that I’m in. Obviously, I’ve grown up in New York. I want to be in New York. But, we’ll see what happens.

That doesn't rule out Pugh returning to the Giants. As we saw from the Los Angeles Rams this season, a couple offseason moves and a drastic coaching overhaul can completely turn around a franchise in the span of just one offseason. Pugh knows that the Giants roster will look a lot different in 2018 after bringing in a new head coach, and for now, all he can do is hope that new general manager Dave Gettleman views him as a part of it.

"Changes are going to be made," Pugh said. "I know that. It’s coming. So, hopefully I’m a part of it.

"I don’t know how much change there’s going to be. I know this is – despite our record – we got some really good players in this room. No matter what you’re going to say, we’re going to have an elite defense next year and those guys are unbelievable. On offense, we’re going to be healthy and go back at it. Obviously things are going to change. We know that. You’ve heard the GM talk. We’ll see what happens with the coaching situation, but that’s the NFL. I’m used to that by now. I’m the only one left in my draft class. None of the coaches I came in with are here anymore. I know that change and turnover happens and we’ll see."

Last offseason, Pugh made some waves on social media while Tweeting out the contracts of the newly signed top offensive guards in the NFL. Pugh wants to be paid like one of the NFL's best offensive guards and he believes that it will come from the Giants or another NFL team.

"Yeah, I think so," Pugh said when asked if he will be a hot commodity.

Pugh has graded out as a dominant left guard over the course of his career, per Pro Football Focus, and an above-average right tackle, per PFF. Of course, the key with Pugh is the injuries. All but one season of Pugh's career thus far has been hampered by injuries. Most recently, Pugh missed the majority of the 2017 season with a back injury that he has opted to not perform surgery on and instead use rest to heal up.