Mar 042015
 
Jon Beason, New York Giants (December 22, 2013)

Jon Beason was solid in the middle for New York last year – © USA TODAY Sports Images

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New York Giants middle linebacker Jon Beason said on SiriusXM Radio today that he and the Giants are currently in contact about a re-structured contract that would reduce Beason’s 2015 salary cap number. Beason is in the second year of a 3-year, $17 million contract that he signed with the Giants last offseason. He is currently scheduled to receive $3.6 million in base salary, a $2.2 million roster bonus, and a $100,00 workout bonus. Counting his prorated signing bonus, Beason’s total 2015 cap number is $6,691,666.

Beason’s 2014 NFL season was basically wiped out due to a ligament tear and fracture to the sesamoid bone in his right foot during an OTA practice on June 12. He aggravated the injury in Week 2 against Arizona, missed the next three games, and aggravated the injury again in Week 7 against Dallas. After that, the doctors decided he needed season-ending surgery and Beason was placed on Injured Reserve in October. In the end, he only played and started in four games and finished the season with 11 tackles.

If the Giants cut Beason before June 1st, the team would “save” $2,858,332 against the cap with a hefty $3,833,334 in dead money.

“I want to be a Giant,” said Beason, who represents himself in contract negotitions. “They took a chance on me when other people may have thought that I was done. You want to go out and hold up your end of the bargain. When healthy I still feel I’m the best in the business and no one can keep up with me.

“We’ve been back and forth trying to come to terms. They’re doing the best they can to try to be fair under the situation and as a so-called agent I’m doing the best I can to make sure I get the opportunity to earn some of that money back. What you hate is that you get penalized for what happened in 2014 when it’s no longer in anyone’s control. But if you do go out and you play well and you make the Pro Bowl, the guys win the Super Bowl, you make the playoffs, to take less money than what you were scheduled to earn is tough because you no longer have that opportunity to hit that benchmark. That’s the nature of the game.

“I’ve had the benefit of doing my own contract and you see how the business works. Unfortunately when you are making more than the league minimum you are susceptible to taking a pay cut due to injury. A lot of that has to do with the leverage that the teams have. What I’ve learned is that you can’t take it personally when the team is going to come after you to get money back based on an injury because the other 31 teams seem like they’re on the same page. ‘Hey, we’ll low-ball you worse if you decide not to take the pay cut.’… It’s an unfortunate part of the business, but at the same time staying in the game and continuing to play is ultimately what you want. And they know that.

“As you get older in the league you realize unfortunately it’s not so much about family or bleeding Carolina blue and black or (Giants) blue and red. They want you to have that perception of what this game is. It’s truly a business and if you can’t produce at a high level often, whether it’s through injury when you can’t or you are just not playing well, there is going to be some change. When you see that so often, guys continue to move on and you’ve stayed because you’ve been a good player, you start to understand that. When you get late in your career you do the best you can to continue to do all the things that help teams win in terms of playing at a high level, but also bringing guys along and leading and trying to get that ring.”

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Eric Kennedy

Eric Kennedy is Editor-in-Chief of BigBlueInteractive.com, a publication of Big Blue Interactive, LLC. Follow @BigBlueInteract on Twitter.

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