Winless Giants acquire Jon Beason from Panthers

The New York Giants, winless and desperate for defensive help after being outscored 69-7 in the past two games, have acquired linebacker Jon Beason from the Carolina Panthers, pending a Friday physical, a person familiar with the deal told USA TODAY Sports.

The person, who requested anonymity because the trade isn't official, said the Giants would give the Panthers a late-round draft pick for Beason, a seventh-year player who recently had been benched in favor of former Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn.

The trade should come as no surprise given the men pulling the strings: Panthers general manager David Gettleman worked for the Giants from 1998-2012 before taking the job with the Panthers.

The Giants are acquiring an aging linebacker who has battled injuries, played little over the past three seasons and has twice lost his starting job.

Beason, 28, has suffered nagging injuries since he signed a five-year, $51.5 million extension before the 2011 season. A torn Achilles sidelined him in 2011, when he played just one game, and knee and shoulder injuries in 2012 limited him to four games in that season.

He lost his starting job at middle linebacker last year to Luke Kuechly, and this season, Beason was replaced as the starting weakside linebacker by Blackburn.

When he benched Beason, coach Ron Rivera said the linebacker needed more practice time to shake off the rust.

"He is a competitor. He's working hard to recapture that form and that style of football he's used to playing," Rivera said. "We'll continue to keep giving him reps, keep working with him, keep developing him and we'll see."

Beason agreed to a $4.25 million pay cut this year while also chopping off the last three years, but the deal allows him to reclaim $1.75 million if he's active for all 16 games. He'll earn up to $6.1 million this season.


(usatoday.com)