When the Giants activated defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul last week, they cleared a spot for him on the active roster by placing veteran linebacker Jon Beason, who had been dealing with knee and ankle injuries, on injured reserve. According to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, not only is Beason’s season over, but his career is likely finished as well, as mounting injuries have taken their toll.
Injuries are nothing new for Beason, 30, whom the Giants from the Panthers in 2007. While he was extremely durable during his first four years in the league (he didn’t miss a single game), Beason will have played in just 29 out of a possible 80 games from 2011-15, including only nine games during the past two seasons with New York.
Beason and the Giants agreed to a three-year, $14MM contract prior to the 2014 season, but the two sides restructured that deal before the 2015 campaign, slashing Beason’s base salary by nearly half. Beason would have been able to make up much of that loss via playing time incentives, but he presumably will be unable to reach those goals now. If he does end up retiring, Beason will count for about $1.47MM on the Giants’ cap in 2016.
A first-round pick out of Miami in 2007, Beason has accrued more than 500 tackles during his near-decade long career.