Jon Beason spoke early and often about how thoroughly he enjoyed coming to the Giants, playing for the Giants and, he hoped, continuing his career with the Giants. He wants to return and the Giants want him back, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen.
The Giants had weeks to come to a contract agreement with Beason, who stepped in last season after he was acquired from the Panthers and solved their middle linebacker puzzle, starting the final 11 games to trigger a dramatic defensive turnaround. As their own unrestricted free agent, the Giants had exclusive rights to negotiate with Beason, but that ended Tuesday when Beason, who is representing himself without an agent, hit the open market.
A Denver Post report Wednesday stated the Broncos are “considering’’ Beason, along with Ravens linebacker Daryl Smith. The Broncos appear serious about upgrading their defense, after spending wildly to sign cornerback Aqib Talib (six years, $57 million) and positioning themselves as the favorites to land pass-rush demon DeMarcus Ware, who was cut by the Cowboys.
The return of Beason must be a top priority. For several years, the Giants have had a hole in the middle of their defense and Beason was such a quality problem-solver that moving on without him seems implausible. Teammates raved about his ability to quickly pick up the defensive system, and he showed his surgically repaired knee was healthy, accumulating 93 tackles and one interception in his 11 starts. He also emerged as a strong team leader, someone his new teammates were quick to follow.
Clearly, though, the Giants have a price set for Beason and they are not going to over-extend themselves. Beason, 29, played in a total of only five games in 2011 and 2012 because of physical issues, and his health appears to be a concern to the Giants. The key will be how the Broncos and other teams view Beason on the open market.